Found Voices™ Podcast #4: Write Your Heart Out

Write your heart out. Joyce Carol Oates lists this as her number one of ten writing tips. It's also her 10th. Sounds easy right? Or maybe it doesn’t. Maybe you're thinking what does this even mean. In today's podcast, I talk about what it means to actually write your heart out. Enjoy and write on...

Best to listen to this podcast with headphones.

Transcript

Oh boy, Do I dig this music. Welcome to Found Voices. I'm Carolyn Ziehl. Episode four, Write Your Heart Out. This is something I've been chewing on for a little while, This idea of writing your heart out. Joyce Carol Oates lists this as her number one of ten writing tips. It's also her tenth writing tip, Write Your Heart Out. Maybe it sounds easy, Or maybe it doesn't. Maybe you're thinking to yourself, What does this even mean, To write your heart out? I think that there's different levels of definitions, And one might be to write your feelings. Write what you feel, What you think. Let that just pour onto the page, La-di-da, So easy. Right? Not so right. This idea of writing from your heart. Well, I think, First of all, You can't write from your heart. You can't write your feelings. You can't write what you're thinking, And have it be good writing. Have it be writing someone wants to read without some sort of structure, Without some sort of technique attached to it. And I know that there are some writers that do believe it's not the technique, It's the feeling that counts. And yes, You want your writing to have what we like to call tonal dynamics. You want your writing to have feeling, Have emotion, Go into the deep voice. But it's hard to infuse that into your writing without knowing how to do it. So I'd like to offer, If you want your reader to feel what you want them to feel, What you feel, What you want to convey, Then I believe technique and skill matter. You want your writing to be good. People tend to read good writing, And enjoy it, And get it. So writing your heart out may take a little bit of effort. Write your heart out. Here's a question for you. Does writing your heart out mean you're always telling the truth? You're always telling your real feelings? If you're writing about your thoughts and feelings, Are they always true? Ernest Hemingway once said, The writer's job is to tell the truth. When he was having difficulty writing, He reminded himself of this. And as he explained, I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, Do not worry. All you have to do is write one true sentence. But what does that mean? To write one true sentence, And then another, And then another, And then, Well, You get my drift. Does it mean every sentence you write can't be a lie? Has to have happened? Has to be the truth? Or is it when you write one true sentence, It's not only in the message that it's conveying, Which doesn't have to be true, And it doesn't have to be false, But also in how it is conveying this message. Maybe even more importantly than whether something is fact or fiction, It's how it is being conveyed. What is the structure of this sentence? How are you using language to put your sentence together? Are you using your words like bricks to build a strong, True, Sturdy sentence, Whether it happened or not, So that if your sentence were a bridge, Would it be strong enough that you drive across it safely? So when Hemingway talks about writing one true sentence, Not only in the message, But in the structure, In the solidity of that sentence. And I'd like to add something here, An aside about whether something did or did not happen. Once it's on the page, Let's assume it happened. So when someone says, Did that really happen after you read a piece of writing? You know what that does? It takes away from the writing. It takes away from the writer. Oftentimes I'll be in my writing class and someone will read this incredible piece of writing and yeah, What happened in the writing is incredible, But also the writing itself is incredible. And then that person might say, You know, That really happened. And then my teacher, He'll pull out his lecture on, Did that really happen? And explain why you don't want to say that and why you don't want to ask that question. Because once it's on the page, Who cares if it really happened? Now we're in the writing, We're in the language, We're in the structure. So when you're thinking of the idea of writing from your heart and you're telling a quote, Air quote, True story, It's still about the writing. The writing is good if it makes what you write feel true. How many times have we read memoir, Autobiography, And the writing is not good, So we don't care about the story because we're bored. So you don't want to take away from the writing and focus on whether something happened or not. So it comes back to this idea of writing from your heart. It doesn't have to be always about telling the truth about what really happened. And if you are writing about emotions and feelings, Let the writing be compelling so as to draw the reader in because writing about emotions and feelings doesn't always equate to good writing. There's this idea that it's easier to write about something that really happened. I don't know if that's necessarily true. Oftentimes people come to my classes and into the classes that I take and they're writing their memoir, Something that happened to them. And what I find is it seems more of a struggle because they already know how it happened. It happened to them. You're not going to forget your own story. And so there's this idea that you have to write it in order or I have one student and she used to say, I just got to get it on the page. And I'd say, What's the rush? What about all your tools? What about the concepts you're learning? What about the deep voice? What about your voice? What about creating scenes? Stretching psychological time? What's the rush? So there's this idea that writing something that really happened is easier, But I think sometimes maybe that makes it even harder because we've already lived it and it's harder to surprise ourselves if we're just trying to get it out and write our story. But if you use a tool, A technique, An exercise, Some boundaries, Some parameters to get you out of your own way, Something that you can focus on other than your story so that when it does come, It will come more organically. And so that you really will be writing your heart out, So to speak. It's a letting go of your story. It's a trust. Trusting that focusing on the exercise, Not focusing on your story, Will allow you to tell your story in a way that surprises you, The writer, And thus it will surprise the reader. The reader will be compelled to keep reading because the writing will be solid and true, As Hemingway says. But how does one come to this type of writing? Let's talk about technique. So when I was in high school, I used to go to a park down the street from my house called Roxbury Park, And I would bring my little, You know, I had my tennis balls and my tennis racket and they had this brick wall near the tennis courts and I would go and play, Ha, I would go and hit the ball on the wall over and over. I actually loved the sound the ball made each time it hit the racket and then the thwack, That vibration in my grip, I could feel it like I was accomplishing something. Like maybe I was actually getting better at my swing. I'm not a big tennis player and I wasn't learning anything new. I took tennis at camp when I was a kid, We had to. I think it was on the schedule after H2O instruction, Maybe we had tennis instruction or maybe before and hopefully we could jump in the water and cool down afterwards because it was hot. The sun would beat down on us and those red clay courts and there were these anthills everywhere, Red ants, Red ants on red clay and we would have to avoid the ants because red ants bite. And we would take the butt of our tennis rackets and drill into those anthills hoping to kill the ants but instead they just swarmed everywhere. We had to jump out of the way. So as you can imagine given my experience, I wasn't a fan of tennis. So there I am at Roxbury Park practicing my swing over and over and over hoping to better my tennis technique when in fact I was practicing all my bad habits. So if you think about let's say Malcolm Gladwell's 10, 000 hours, If those 10, 000 hours are spent practicing not getting better but in fact practicing the same poor technique over and over you're not improving but instead you're practicing staying the same. Or who knows, Maybe you're practicing getting worse. Writing from your heart and technique, What are you practicing? What are you writing? So when we talk about writing from your heart, Putting your emotion and your truth onto the page, Are you doing it with good solid sentences, Sentences that actually convey meaning and emotion and in air quotes truth through solid structure, Through such strong writing where you actually move the reader, Compel the reader to turn the page, Manipulate the reader to think and feel what you want them to think and feel. And you do this with the sort of skill that allows you to write from your heart so that the writing will be readable which means it will allow you to write and access those deeper emotions, Will allow you to write from the core of who you are and still be authentic no matter what you're writing about. It will allow you to access your deep voice and it is your deep voice that is the key. It is the key to good solid writing. It is the key to writing one true sentence and then another and then another and then another. Anyone can tell a story. Anyone can tell a story. The question is, Is it a story you'll want to listen to or read? Is it a story that will be boring or do you want to be a storyteller? There's a difference. Anyone can tell a story. Not everyone can be a storyteller. In order to be a storyteller, You have to be a good writer and that takes practice and it takes practicing good solid foundational techniques. So there's this idea of writing your heart out is about telling your story and I've said this before and I'll say it again and my teacher says it over and over. In fact, It's something that you might want to print out and have bronzed and put on top of your computer. My story is boring and let's say your story is not boring. You've lived this fascinating life but if you just write it because you have to get it down and you write it how it happened and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened, Guess what, It might be boring. And what about if you came to the page knowing that your story was boring, Whether it is or not. Wouldn't that force you to write harder, So to speak, So that you make sure that your story is not boring and in that process you might just become a really good storyteller? I've listened to writing that was about someone making a cup of tea and you might think that's a boring story. Like you wouldn't tell that story around a campfire or at a bar. Hey, Check out this, I made a cup of tea. Wow, That's amazing. No, But the writing, I think I heard this in class read, I don't know how many years ago, Five, 10. I don't know, All I know is I never forgot that piece of writing about making a cup of tea because that piece of writing was so compelling and the voice was so deep and it said so much more than just about how to make a cup of tea or making a cup of tea. And that's good solid writing. That's writing your heart out. So whether you're writing about making a cup of tea or you're making up a story or writing your story, When Joyce Carol Oates says write your heart out, I interpret this to mean write well. Find your voice. Use your deep voice. Write with purpose. So this idea of writing with purpose, Writing your heart out, Writing with purpose, What does it mean? Well, To write and to write well. To do that, I believe it takes practice and you have to pay attention and you have to be willing to fail. You have to be willing to take risks. You have to be willing to be a bad writer in order to be a good writer. If you want to tell your story and have it not be boring, You have to be willing to write truth through solid and strong sentences. Take chances. Risk it all. Experiment. Try new things. Tell it in a way that would surprise even you, The person who lived the story. Deepen your voice. Maybe you're not there yet. Maybe you're just uncovering your voice. So do that. Don't try to write like a writer. Just write like you talk, Which is the first tool that I teach, The first concept. Because when you can write like you talk without trying to write like a writer, Without trying to tell your story, I believe you will be well on your way to writing your heart out. And if you want to write your heart out, I think you should be reading your heart out too. Good writers are good readers. I know I've told this story more than once, Maybe even on this podcast, But it bears repeating. A gal once emailed me and she said, You know, I really want to write a memoir. She had been through some health challenges and had an interesting story. I don't know that much about it, But she felt it was worth sharing. And I said, Great, That's awesome. And she said, Who do you know that teaches memoir? And at the time I didn't really know anybody. So I said, I only know people who teach people how to write like myself. I also suggested she read a lot of memoir. And she didn't like my response. She said in no uncertain terms, Thanks, No thanks. She wasn't a fan of my class, But not everybody is. And that's okay. Lots of people are. She also isn't a fan of reading. She said, Oh, I don't really like to read. I just wished her luck. I didn't tell her good writers are good readers. I don't think she wanted to hear it. And I don't know if she's written her memoir. And if she has, I don't know how readable it will be. Or maybe she took my advice and reads more now. Maybe she enjoys reading. Who knows? What I do know is if you don't like to read, I don't know that you want to be a writer. It's like being a personal trainer and not like working out. So I'd like to leave you with the idea of writing your heart out. With maybe a new perspective in what that really could mean. What I believe it means. And what it might mean for you. So here's to writing your heart out. Thanks for listening to Found Voices. Write your heart out and write on.

Reviews

Inspiring!

I’m not a writer and yet each of Caroline’s podcasts hit home and are very insightful for the artist in a general sense. The process is the same. As a pianist and composer I hope to create something interesting and surprising for the listener. I hope these podcasts continue, and continue…

This one made me feel like I could have very easily been that lady that left your class. Do audiobooks count? Lol I have a lot of books I intend to read and then I just go get the audiobook instead because of two small children. But I do have the time to get in some reading. I need to put that into my day. Thank you for the reminder. I’m writing my heart out two pages at a time in the morning. Writing truth can be scary, so first we must overcome fear. Hope you are well. 🙏🏾🌸🙏🏾💕💕