How leaving social media has forced me below the surface to be a better writer
What do Jack Nicholson, creative writing and the Substack community have to do with each other? Read on.
A Note: A hearty welcome to new readers and a gracious “Thank You!” to those who have recently supported me by becoming paid subscribers. What a surprise to see the emails announcing your financial gifts! It means a great deal to have my work recognized in that way, at least to cover the cost of coffee, printer paper and Blackwing Pearl pencils, aka The Basics.
Glancing out the window the other day while at the kitchen sink, I thought of a clever two liner I might share on Facebook or Twitter. My thoughts probably had something to do with looking at the birds, since there are three feeders hanging right outside a window on my deck. In fact I wrote a whole book of poems about them.
As much as I would like to admit otherwise, I still find myself thinking in social media shorthand. I officially left Instagram in April 2023, Facebook in August. The only thing I miss is the opportunity to post photos of sunsets and skies and birds and gardens and trees….. So I text the pictures to my friends instead, especially if I’ve mananged to capture the flight of an Anna’s hummingbird.1
The problem with thinking in social media sound bites is it leaves someone whose work is expressed through words relying on cliches and shortcuts. This is not good for the writing muscles, whether writing in verse or prose.
Most of my work here on my Substack is sharing poetry—the title is Poetry & Made Things, after all. However, when I sketch out an essay—a ‘made thing’ (from the Greek word poiema) I’m aware of paying attention to language that is descriptive and vivid, creative in some way, mindful of considering how I can paint the ordinary in an extra-ordinary way.
Truly creative writing does not come naturally to me. If there’s a shorthand form to my work, it’s thinking in poems. Perhaps brevity makes the descriptive language come easier; I don’t know. When it comes to prose reflections, I want to get better at pausing to consider the way I describe what I see. For an abstract thinker this is an exercise, truly! I do not think concretely nor do I recall details well. If you want me to recount an experience, I will identify how I felt at the time or what the emotions were surrounding the event. Remembering the color of the sky or the quiet of the trees or the look on my granddaughter’s face—those are the particulars I need to work on embellishing—in a good way.
There’s a line in the movie “As Good as It Gets” (1997) where Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt, “You make me want to be a better person.” Helen Hunt’s character remarks, “That is the highest compliment anyone’s ever paid me.”
That line circulates often in my head when I’m crafting a post here on Substack. One author in particular who inspires me to be a better writer is Shawn Smucker.
“The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see.”
—John Ruskin, From Modern Painters (1843-1860)
When I started writing online in 2012, I began following Shawn, father of four, part-time Uber driver, full-time writer and full-time dad, married to Maile. Shawn’s writing at the time was via his blog and he was recounting their family adventure of driving across country in an RV.
Much has changed since that time; Maile and Shawn now have six children, Shawn’s authored a number of books and together with Maile has offered a great deal to the community of writers with whom they interact. There have been podcasts and video courses and now both of them are writing here on Substack. (Maile’s space is all about food—it’s wonderful!)
Shawn continues to inspire me when I read his work; he can make the passing of a beloved puppy or the simple making of pancakes into the richest, most vivid essay. Reading Shawn’s work makes me want to be a better writer.2
When I think about beginning an essay or reflection now, I’m nudging myself to be more creative, leap over the ordinary and grab a dictionary or thesaurus, reach into the long file of my memory to paint a more vivid picture of what I want to say. Tiptoeing into creativity in that way is a grand adventure.
Short cuts are good if you’re driving across country, but sometimes, most times, readers want to know what you see along the way.
Here’s a photo of that Anna’s hummingbird against the Pac NW gray…she likes the branches of our dormant honeysuckle
Shawn Smucker and Maile Silva are offering paid subscribers some remarkable resources for writers. Check them out here. You’re welcome.
I was first introduced to you through Writing Off Social (and bought your poetry book — beautiful!). I too have left social media, though my leaving was just two months ago. I'm happy to say I haven't ceased to exist;) (In fact, I'm publishing my own book now!) It has given me the space to write what I want/need as opposed to what the algorithm requires. I'm grateful for people I have met through social media...and I'm grateful to be more fully present with my writing in my physical communities now. So glad you kept writing, and so glad you're writing has made its way to me.
Love this so much!