patchwork

I've noticed I write about myself A LOT. I'd like to move beyond that, but maybe I need to purge some of these old stories before I can move forward...? I'm not sure how to deal with that. But my own experiences have been my main subject over these last 9 weeks.

Some themes I'm finding:
-- family (both biological and chosen), acceptance, connections and broken connections
--mental health, queer/trans identity, personal autonomy, dysphoria
--the constant quiet hum of everyday trauma in late stage capitalism, implications of privilege and oppression
--joy, performance, play, art, music, collaboration, looking toward a beautiful future built for/by everyone

Sometimes it gets pretty dark but I've attempted to include humor in various ways.

I guess pretty much I'm using my stories, micro experiences, to talk/think/feel/stumble through macro patterns of culture + society.... but that's kinda what creative nonfiction is all about isn't it?! stories let us see each other... okay so that's not really an insight.

Feels like I've moved through a lot of different tones and writing styles, which is making it hard for me to see how things could fit together. Unless it's just an oversized patchwork quilt.

I notice when I'm putting more thought/care into language, I write more for sound + rhythm. (maybe this is falling into old patterns tho-- too easy?) Lots of lyrical stuff happening. Other times, it seems more like rambling, a runaway train (or kite).

Of course y'all have different preferences so I'm not able to concretely say what has been "most effective." I often think of my self(s) in multiples so I never know whose voice is gonna show up. I wonder how important consistency is. A clown is infinite, anything is possible, so maybe I'm carrying that into writing too.... actually I think I hope I'm doing that!

The various prompts have been ridiculously helpful for thinking in new ways and finding stories hidden in places I wouldn't have expected. That has been such a learning experience and so much fun!

Any feedback or random thoughts about my random thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks, buddies.

[[TUESDAY PROMPT: Spend some time thinking about the themes that have emerged in your work over the course of these ten weeks. Are there recurring images or topics? How might the snippets be woven together into a longer piece? It might be a good idea to print all of your responses to the prompts (including those that weren't related to the prompt but were part of your own projects). Can you see any connections? Please share your findings, so we can offer our insights as readers.]]