Occasionally I write some poetry. It isn't great poetry, but for me, it is something that is challenging and has become increasingly challenging since the stroke, as it relies on building visuals that might not be so clear. Most of my writing relies on my ability to illustrate the information, rather than just an info dump. I don't want people to get information from me, I want them to build a picture of understanding that is theirs. In this sense, it is about investing, where the audience plays an active role in their outcomes, rather than feeling like learning, but not taking any practical steps to make it a reality.
"Reality" is experiential, meaning that we don't actually have identical realities, even though we can share experiences and have plenty of overlap. When we read a fiction book for example, our imagination builds the world, but no two people will build identical worlds. However, for the individual, that development by the imagination is a version of reality, even if not physical, as it impacts on how we experience the world.
For instance, right now you may be feeling okay, but if you were to imagine someone you love being in a violent accident, your teeth may grit and muscles tighten. Even though it isn't happening, there is a physical reaction and our thoughts shift based on what we have imagined. When we are fed information and create our mental reality, it is going to be built with the building blocks that we know, our own experience and as such, it is going to come with an emotional valence.
Whenever our imagination is engaged it triggers an emotional response, even if it is slight, and this helps us not only remember, but apply a hierarchy of what we are developing. It doesn't mean we won't forget it, but whilst we are in that processing phase, we are able to evaluate and get a sense of importance of the moment.
Poetry isn't important, is it?
No, I didn't see a destitute man, I am that man. And no, I am not actually destitute, but that doesn't mean at times I feel it, where I don't have enough to make the choices in life I want to make, or to provide the kind of life I want for my family. At times, I am a complete and utter failure in my own eyes and in my own imagination, making it for those periods at least, true to me.
But there is another line in that same poem that hints at something different:
Away from the noise, prying strangers and into the arms of home.
The familiar squeal of the grinding hinge, needing work promised last.
It speaks to calm and quiet, a space where there is familiarity and intimacy. It is a space where there is work to do, but there is value in that work and accountability, as someone cares that it gets done, otherwise the promise isn't required.
For those who notice, the vast majority of my content is similar to my poetry though, as it is built from the building blocks of my experience, using stories unique to me, but hopefully told in a way that resonates with the audience. This way, even if not shared, similar experience becomes the substrate for connection, where a relationship can develop, even if it is only for the length of an article, or maybe even a paragraph within.
As I haven't had any direct training or guidance on how to write, this has become my style of writing developed through practice and trial, with there being plenty of errors framed as learning experiences, not mistakes. As I have said many times over the years, write from the heart, because that is what makes it ours, what makes it personal and compelling, helping us connect with each other through that substrate. It is embarrassing at times perhaps, but this is life and if we want to build a community, the technology alone is not enough, we need humans and we need to speak through our experiences with each other, because that is where the value lays.
Of course, not everyone is suited or comfortable in talking like this directly about their lives, but this is where our real and imagined realities can be processed through our creative mechanisms to produce something that is uniquely ours, but washed of the direct experience, using substitutes and proxies, as well as poetic license to develop the characters, strengthen the image. even technical articles benefit from illustrative examples the audience can use to imagine the implications, so developing our skills to improve the communication, benefits our message uptake, retention and recollection.
Our head remembers, our heart recalls.
There are many mechanisms that go into our experience and writing can help develop many of them and, help us develop the relationships we value and need.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
