THE INTERIOR GAZE: Day One
Welcome to The Interior Gaze: Calibrating the Narrative Voice in Nonfiction
Hello All! I am so excited to begin this six-week journey into nonfiction/essay writing and reading. It starts TODAY!
If you want to watch the video I posted yesterday about THE INTERIOR GAZE, you can do so here:
Every Tuesday for the next six weeks, all paying members of Navel Gazing will receive one or two essays in PDF form as well as writing prompts and exercises.
Today’s email is open to all subscribers, because I want everyone to be able to see the format of the class (in case they’d like to join!).
The Zoom link to our Monday Writing Space is below the paywall at the bottom of this email. The Writing Space is a silent space where all participants can pop in and get some writing or reading done every Monday from 10am-12pm EST.
You will also find the survey for our bi-weekly meeting time below the paywall.
This Week’s Essays: Phillip Lopate’s “Writing Personal Essays: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself Into a Character” and James Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son.”
There are two optional short essays: George Orwell’s “Why I Write” and Joan Didion’s essay of the same name. Click the hyperlink for Orwell’s book— the title essay is the one I’m referring to (though you’re welcome to read the entire book!).
Some things to think about:
Consider reading Lopate’s essay before Baldwin’s. Lopate lays out a field guide for how to turn oneself into a character— this can also be called “narrative distance,” but he is referring to something much more complex; an internal transformation that must occur for someone to write truthfully about themselves.
When I read craft essays, I always remind myself that there are no hard and fast rules in writing. Each writer has their own way of writing and thinking about writing. Instead of pressuring myself to conform to the author’s ideas, I notice what feels true to me. I also notice what repulses me, if anything. This repulsion (or strong distaste or disagreement) is always a signpost for me to pay attention. Am I repulsed because the author may be hitting on something true, that I’d rather not acknowledge? Sometimes the answer is no, and I move on. But sometimes it’s yes. That’s rich ground for self-exploration.
Lopate packs a lot into this short essay. What is he asking of his reader (and writer)? How does one turn oneself into a character? What are his “rules?”
PROMPT: In the essay, Lopate advises the writer to take inventory of themself. Once you have read the essay, take your own personal inventory. Establish the who/what/when/where and why of YOU. He asks you to dive into the wreck of your personality. What does that look like when you gaze with clear eyes? And what is your experience like, of looking itself?
Baldwin’s essay “Notes of a Native Son” is a master class in essay writing. My advice is to read the essay twice: first without taking notes or making observations, and then again while taking notes.
There is so much we can learn here, about all elements of nonfiction. You can come at craft analysis from any angle. If you’d like to approach it with Lopate’s essay in mind, that can be a helpful starting point— how does Baldwin make himself a character? Where is his narrative voice in time? What might he have learned through retrospective reflection and not understood in the moment, and how may he have come to that understanding?
You can also approach the essay more mechanically— that is, through structure. How is the essay structured temporally? What holds it together? Does it ever fall apart? Why or why not?
I’m interested to hear about your experience of this essay. If you’ve read it before, I promise you’ll find something that went unnoticed last time. I’ve taught it tens of times and always learn something new.
Writers Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin in Conversation:
Didion’s and Orwell’s essays are richest when compared with one another (in my opinion). They’re both about the art of writing, but one (Didion’s) is conscious of the other, and each essay expresses unique ways of seeing and receiving the world.
Noticing these differences, I think, gives us permission to accept how we write and engage with the world. Every writer is unique, and everyone has something to share with the world, whether it’s about themselves or about the surrounding world (but really, everything comes through the self, so…).
Those essays are optional, but we I will mention them on Saturday!
On Saturday I will post a discussion thread. I will also be communicating through the paid subscriber’s chat.
Please note that you can manage your emails, chat notifications, etc. in your Substack settings!
This week’s writing exercises (choose one or do them all!):
Take yourself to a public place— a coffee shop, park, restaurant…anywhere you’ll find at least a few people. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Keep your phone silent and away for the duration. Then, open your notebook and write what you observe. You can describe the physical world, conversations you overhear, thoughts or feelings you may have, or observations about the way you see the world. Don’t force it. You may simply sit for a few minutes before you want to write. Try to imagine that your writing is animated by the world around you; not by an internal agenda or purpose. No one’s going to read what you write, so there’s no need to worry about that— let yourself write without censorship. After 24 hours have passed, read what you wrote. Notice any judgement and let that go. There may be some inspiration or a lead you can follow; let your intuition guide you.
Play an album that reminds you of a particular moment in your life. Take your notebook (handwriting is preferred here but voice notes can also work!) and write into the first memory, sensation, or feeling that arises for you. My advice is not to pick the most harrowing moment of your life. Instead, choose something neutral or even positive. Set a timer for any amount of time (notice a theme? timers can be very helpful) and imagine the memories coming through you as you write. Don’t try to clean up your writing at all— you can write in full or half sentences, make lists, or even incorporate drawing if you’d like. Most importantly, let yourself be taken over (this is why I encourage you to choose a neutral or positive moment in time). It may take some time: keep moving the pen or pencil. Whether the memories are cohesive or disjointed doesn’t matter. You may end up writing about the present moment! That’s fine, too.
With both of these exercises, focus on noticing when that judgmental or critical voice comes in. Usually this results in a sense of failure, disliking everything you are writing on the page, or feeling like you should be doing things a certain way. It’s almost inevitable that the critic wants to join us in our writing. It helps to focus on the physical act of writing rather than the intellectual one— for instance, how the pen feels or sounds on the paper.
Below you will find the Zoom Link for the Monday Writing Space and a survey for bi-weekly meeting days/times.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to navel gazing to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.