“I don’t know what I think about certain subjects, even today, until I sit down and try to write about them.”

– Don DeLillo

Hi Writers:

When I began writing, I didn’t know what I wanted to write. I heard, “Write what you know,” but all I really knew was that I loved moving my purple pen across the pages of a spiral notebook. I didn’t think I had much to say.

Through writing practice (ala Natalie Goldberg), I am finding my material. No matter where I begin, my pen leads me to certain recurring themes. I start writing about hair dryers and wind up with a piece about the day my father died. The topic tuna fish takes me to Astro, the little white fluffy dog who was my companion for fifteen years. When I reread my notebooks, the same topics appear over and over: my father, spirituality, dogs, meditation, depression. Fictional characters also reappear. I find out what I really think by writing.

What’s your “true material?” It might be interesting to let yourself just write, keeping your hand moving, no crossing out, on some random topics. Try these: mashed potatoes, the day I was born, everything I know about the color red. There’s a whole world of material, YOUR material, inside you. Once it’s out there, you can choose what to do with it. But wouldn’t it be nice to know what’s there?

Happy writing!

Nita(keep your hand moving)Sweeney
(c) 2003 by Nita Sweeney