This is so timely for me, so beautiful and poignant and thought-provoking. I've been trying to articulate who I am as a writer--what I write about and why--and the way you connected the dots between writing and reading turned a lightbulb on for me. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this might be one of the most important pieces I've read in years. Thank you, Matt Cardin. Thank you, thank you.
Lovely piece. On a surface level I have to admit that I often reflexively read and write to re-discover what I already know, to confirm. Maybe even collude? After about 6 pages in my journal tho I run out of things to say and that’s when it gets interesting … if I make it that far. I often don’t. The first six pages still helps me sort and cleanse. But yeah, the deeper aspects of writing come through after that. And now I have to ask myself, is there a similar process with my reading? When do I read to discover what’s beyond? Thanks for the prompt to this meditation
I too am attracted to writings that mirror what I feel and think and help me to become more clearly conscious of what passes through me. At the same time I look for voices capable of busting all my presuppositions, opening up unimagined perspectives. In my attempts at creative writing I similarly try to start from the core of what I feel and then to let it take me to conclusions I had not expected. Could these two so different experiences actually emanate from the same spiritual process, a struggle like a serpent's molting?
This is so timely for me, so beautiful and poignant and thought-provoking. I've been trying to articulate who I am as a writer--what I write about and why--and the way you connected the dots between writing and reading turned a lightbulb on for me. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this might be one of the most important pieces I've read in years. Thank you, Matt Cardin. Thank you, thank you.
I feel like I’ve been on a parallel path, still searching for that daimon. Thank you for opening my mind further on this subject.
Lovely piece. On a surface level I have to admit that I often reflexively read and write to re-discover what I already know, to confirm. Maybe even collude? After about 6 pages in my journal tho I run out of things to say and that’s when it gets interesting … if I make it that far. I often don’t. The first six pages still helps me sort and cleanse. But yeah, the deeper aspects of writing come through after that. And now I have to ask myself, is there a similar process with my reading? When do I read to discover what’s beyond? Thanks for the prompt to this meditation
I too am attracted to writings that mirror what I feel and think and help me to become more clearly conscious of what passes through me. At the same time I look for voices capable of busting all my presuppositions, opening up unimagined perspectives. In my attempts at creative writing I similarly try to start from the core of what I feel and then to let it take me to conclusions I had not expected. Could these two so different experiences actually emanate from the same spiritual process, a struggle like a serpent's molting?
Yes! This! We are what we read and write… or is it that we write and read what we are?