I wanted to write this first post by hand…

Where does your most honest writing come from?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tags: , , , ,

17 comments

Comments feed for this article

  1. Shakirah Dawud’s avatar

    This is a very sweet–and yes, and honest beginning, Natalia. Thanks for sharing your handwriting!

    Reply

    1. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

      Thanks, Shakirah! I was worried it'd be illegible :)

      Reply

  2. Bobby’s avatar

    How wonderful to read the beginning. We share so much in common and your writing reveals so much in one page. So many people share your experience and when you share your heart or heart felt experience that will be the time when we will understand your greatness.

    I can identify with writing and changing the ink. How for me it brought a new emotional voice to a love letter to my Elizabeth. Well gosh how many enjoy creativity we can’t put on the page fast enough before it escapes us while the light of the computer monitor blinds the mind of a single worthy thought or emotion.

    Yes and yes to share my feelings privatly. How I would consider carefully who could read my words.

    Bless you and good writing. I follow you on twitter.

    Reply

    1. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

      Thanks, Bobby. You're so right about the light of the computer monitor…I'd never thought of it like that but it really makes sense. As much as I rely on my laptop there are times when I just can't look at it for one more second.

      Reply

  3. jenniferlarsonwrites’s avatar

    Fabulous start!

    I used to keep a cloth-bound journal as a child, too. In fact, I had one that I sporadically recorded random poems that I wrote all the way into college. (For the record, the poems aren't worth preserving for posterity, but yet for some reason, I still have onto that journal.) So I can appreciate this first handwritten blog post.

    I have to say that I really couldn't go back to writing by hand, though. It takes me too long. I'm a much more efficient typist now than I was when I was younger. My hand and pen can't keep up with my thoughts, and then I get hand cramps, and well…I type pretty much everything now. But like you, I do at least try not to hold back.

    Good luck!

    Reply

    1. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

      I'm so glad you kept the poems and journals–even if you think they're not great, they're still a record of who you were and how you saw the world back then, and that's worth a lot.

      I do most of my writing on the keyboard because you're right, it's faster and my hands cramp up too. But there are times when I'm feeling stuck, or tired of being in front of the computer, so I'll grab some pen and paper and have a go at it. I've noticed that's where some of my best and most honest writing comes from, so I'm trying more and more to go back to that whenever possible. Thanks for reading!

      Reply

  4. Desiree’s avatar

    This is great! How creative to use a snapshot of your handwriting. Starting with imperfections is such a wonderful way to talk about creative writing. I had a professor in college, the poet, Doug Anderson, who made even his first-year writing classes feel like being honest and imperfect writers was the bravest thing we could do. And he wouldn't tolerate anything less. I returned the next year, a cocky sophomore, and took another of his writing classes–when I read my poem in workshop he was quiet for a moment, then he told me to go home until I could write something true. He is a great teacher, and I think of this moment from time to time when I am writing: My ego has no place in the process, I just have to do my imperfect best to say something true and make it articulate and beautiful.

    Reply

    1. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

      That's a great story, and it's so true that ego has no place in the process. One of my best teachers in college was an English teacher who gave me my first C on a paper. I'd been breezing by with all A's and I guess I got cocky, too. He sent me a powerful message with that grade to keep pushing myself, especially when I'd gotten comfortable enough with something that it felt "easy". Good writing is never supposed to be easy, and staying inside a comfort zone is always a cop-out. I guess we all need reminders sometimes!

      Reply

  5. Julie Ashkenazi’s avatar

    I love it! Congrats! RT @InkyClean My new creative writing blog is up, & I'm nervous/excited! http://ow.ly/3DcbG

    Reply

  6. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

    Check out my new blog about creative writing: I wanted to write this first post by hand… http://ow.ly/3DjOC #writing #amwriting

    Reply

  7. Leslie A. Joy’s avatar

    RT @inkyclean: Check out my new blog about creative writing: I wanted to write this first post by hand… http://ow.ly/3DjOC #writing

    Reply

  8. Natalia Sylvester’s avatar

    For the afternoon crowd: My new creative writing blog is up! My first post deals with honesty in #writing http://ow.ly/3Ds4R

    Reply

  9. aidanalira’s avatar

    RT @InkyClean: Check out my new blog about creative writing: I wanted to write this first post by hand… http://ow.ly/3DjOC #writing #a …

    Reply

  10. desiree morales’s avatar

    Congrats to @InkyClean for a lovely and humble first post on her new creative writing blog. http://www.nataliasylvester.com/?p=4

    Reply

  11. Karen Marcus’s avatar

    Love it! >> RT @InkyClean: My new creative writing blog is up. The first post is on writing honestly http://ow.ly/3DcbG Thoughts? #amwriting

    Reply

  12. Mahesh Raj Mohan’s avatar

    This was freaking awesome. Looking forward to reading more (typed and handwritten!)

    Reply

CommentLuv badge