Welcome to What Holy Mystery. This series of writing practices coordinates with the What Holy Mystery Incarnational Study found here.

I sat in a pew in a downtown Methodist church this morning. Each pew is outfitted with a red velvet cushion with little quilting buttons catching the attention of all the children fretting alongside me. I didn’t sit on a folding chair in a basement of a school. I didn’t sit on the deck of a pool with three toddlers (thank goodness). I didn’t sit in a gun metal grey Aston Martin.

All of these settings would have a different effect on me.

What is the difference between writing practice and practicing writing (as in honing your craft)? Writing practice is sitting down to write with the intention of allowing the motion and focus of writing to connect you to creativity and thereby receive healing, joy, strength, or something ineffable from the process. I consider my writing practice to be a prayer practice. Writing practice, done consistently, can also help hone the writer’s craft by teaching the writer to get out of their own way. When you write quickly, catching what rises, you can learn to push deeply into your imagination to build compelling landscapes for your characters or memories to inhabit.

As you write through these prompts, allow the setting to ground what rises for you. If you were sitting in a pew this morning, tell me about the wood, fabric, or comfort level. If you were on a pool deck, was there landscaping or umbrellas? Did the pool deck rasp the bottoms of your feet. Did the plastic lounge chairs stick to the back of your legs?

These things speak. Looking at things closely will open them up. What do they have to say about you? About your character? Not sure? Wander around a bit.

Monday: At the top of the stairs…

Tuesday: Just across that line…

Wednesday: On the edge of the shelf…

Thursday: At the rest stop…

Friday: Sitting on(in) the…

Writing Practice Rules:

Grab a pen and paper or dictation device or computer.
Write/record the prompt at the top of your page.
Set a timer (you can adjust the time to suit your needs…I keep the practices short so they don’t seem overwhelming).
Take a few moments to visualize what the prompt is bringing up.
Write or speak or type!! Try not to edit or criticize. Just write.
Write the details of what is coming up. I call this catching what rises.
If you get stuck, make loops with your pen or nonsense syllables with your voice or tap the keyboard.
If you get really stuck, rewrite/record the prompt as a new paragraph.
Write the details of what you are seeing until the timer goes off.

How to Write a Landscape, Week 4