Devotion to a writing life

Devotion is the name of the book by Dani Shapiro that inspired me to spend a weekend at Kripalu to do a workshop with her. After the many rich experiences I’ve had at the wondrous center for yoga and health nestled in the Berkshires, I’ve come to appreciate and choose wisely the time I spend there.  I had known of Dani’s work but hadn’t read it until recently. I was taken by her style and the way she explored her relationship to what devotion meant to her in many respects and the many forms that it takes. One of the most valuable insights I gained from that time is a reminder of how the writing life mirrors meditation in the way that one cultivates awareness of our inner witness. We practiced waking up the witness and sharpening all her senses.

As I embark upon the writing of my next book, I am drawn to finding form and direction from all potential sources of inspiration. Dani’s prompts and guided meditations helped me access the relaxed attention that is such a valuable place to dip into. I dove into the tacking points of my life and the granularity of the details in-between. I was reminded that life’s inevitable sorrows need not be meaningless as I bore into so many of my own to mine the riches to be gained from dancing with the flames of creativity. I looked at different forms and textures of the connective tissue of narrative, and how a reader enters the consciousness of the writer, rather than simply being told a story.

As I build upon the foundation of my book, I wish to engage those interested in the journey itself, in hopes that it will help enrich that which you are drawn to devoting yourself to.