Thresholds and the Power of Being Specific

Hello there and happy Monday to you, dear one.

We recently worked with these “portals,” aka writing prompts in our writing group. By the way, not everyone in the groups tries these portals. We come together and we write what we want to write—that is the point of our groups. After we have written for an hour, we come back together online and talk about how it went for us. When people do play with the portals, it is always fascinating to hear what writers discover and uncover in the writing process.

Thresholds

In literature, myths, fairytales, and poetry, we often encounter a threshold. Where something is crossed over. Something is left behind. Something is entered.

What are the threshold moments in your project? In your life? Are there literal spaces that are crossed over? As a metaphor—where and what are your thresholds?

Write into one of them and stretch the metaphor as hard and brazenly as you can—discover what is there.

Crossing over

Stepping through

Before and after

Leaving and becoming

Innocence lost and wisdom found

The point of no return

Specific Details

This is a reminder that the more specific your details, the more memorable and relatable your writing becomes.

For today, be as boldly over-the-top with detail as possible—you can always dial it back later. Name that lone potato chip on the sofa, that trio of perfectly seared scallops on the plate, that turquoise frisbee in the copper Irish setter’s mouth.

As with our dreams and memories, often it is the random, unique details that linger with a reader and help them make meaning of a story long after it’s over.

These are for you—do what you will with them

You don’t need to be working on a project or consider yourself a “writer” to bring these into your consciousness. You can use these portals in your next journal entry or just contemplate them for your own pleasure. But if you do apply them to a project you are working on, let them open you to new possibilities and fresh ways to enliven your creativity.

The joy in writing is rarely found in the final product; it is usually the creative exploration and discovery along the way. Or at least that’s true for me.

Our writing groups meet every Tuesday at 4-5:30 pm PT and every Thursday at 10-11:30 am PT. They are available to paid subscribers. You are welcome to join us. I promise you, they are relaxed and low pressure. If you’re inclined, try a month’s subscription, come a few times, and see what you think.

With love, Gail