The Shape of Language

"Language does not exist apart from thought, and thought does not exist apart from language; they are one and the same."

James Berlin--Rhetoric and Reality

Let's launch this discussion with a conversation about "language."  How does language define our reality?  Move the definition of language beyond words and text to all forms of language--the language of our world.  Consider the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the ambitions that define us, the stories that we choose to tell (and the information we leave out), the music we listen to, the movies we watch, our belief systems, our desires, fears, and insecurities.  How do these languages shape the person, the man, the woman, the son, or the daughter?  How do these outside influences give shape to our personal narratives?  

This week, force yourself to become aware of language.  Take an hour to explore your community or city with a notebook and pen.  While you're on this scenic tour, take in the sights and sounds of language.  Notice how text is used in your communities... street signs, advertisements, graffiti, storefronts.  Notice dialogue between friends and strangers and your elders.  Observe body language and facial expressions.   Watch how language shifts as you move into different settings:  A cafe, a club, a party, the classroom, a bank, your job.

In your post, describe a scene as it unfolds.  Choose a gas station, a market, a soccer game, a bus ride, a street corner, a movie theatre, a clothing store.  When you submit your observation, however, include more than striking scene description or dialogue.  Attempt to notice what language emerges from the environment.  How does it inform or shape your personal reactions? Consider how your own life experiences, attitude, beliefs, doubts, or wants color your reflection. Most important, make the connection and find the shape of language.

The Beginning of Language

We're going to begin this conversation with a discussion about sinkholes and horror movies; minefields and bottomless cliffs; zombies and screaming cheetahs.  I'd like to hear your thoughts and memories about learning the writing craft.  Here's the central question we will consider:  Where do you get stuck in the writing process?  Or... where do you hit roadblocks in placing words on the page?  I'd like you to be imaginative about your responses.  In other words, let's look beyond easy answers.

Many of us struggle with grammar and punctuation, organization and argument.   I'd like to know why.  Others struggle with just getting words down on the page in some understandable fashion.  Why?  One way to enter this topic could be to think of experiences that illustrate early or even recent memories of learning writing skills.  Another possibility could be to volunteer a reflection.  What happens when you sit down with a pen or at a computer and face the blank page/screen?  What does your head say to you?  Fear?  Anger?  Disgust?  Insecurity?  Frustration?  Do you want to kick a dog?  Kill a goat?  What?  Or, perhaps you feel no anxiety and are a super charged writing machine.  If that is the case, we'd like to know your secret.  Whatever your answer, please dive deep.  Be fearless in your examination.

Our goal is to understand how we get snagged in the writing process.  Along the way, we might begin to discuss what skills lie at the heart of the writing craft.  This is an opportunity to share your thoughts with others and receive some input, and, perhaps, find some common ground.  This conversation has no limit except the presence of grace and good taste.

So, once again:  Where do you get stuck in the writing process?