Behind Closed Doors

“We write to expose the unexposed. Most human beings are dedicated to keeping that one door shut. But the writer's job is to see what's behind it, to see the bleak unspeakable stuff, and to turn the unspeakable into words - not just into any words but if we can, into rhythm and blues.”
—Anne Lamott

This reminds me of the “how to write when life sucks” blog the other day, but it is actually different. This isn’t about writing in the midst of suckiness, but rather about exploring past suckiness. The benefits of this are twofold: Many times we move past a rough patch and breathe a sigh of relief and don’t look back, leaving the emotions unprocessed. Stuffing it into the closet, so to speak. Digging around in the closet and pulling out the old ‘junk’ helps process it, or you may reevaluate your feelings about it when you first stuffed it in there. It can also be a rich source for your writing practice or WIP.

So brace yourself and go look behind that door. . . .