Here, Simon Granell is kindly answering a few questions on the one-day retreat on Writing that Daizan and Livi Michael run last May.
How would you describe the Zen Writing Event you attended?
The workshop was formed around a series of extracts from Matsuo Bashō’s late work The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches. We explored the content and style of these extracts through their historical background provided by Daizan as well as a series of preparatory tasks delivered by Livi. Individually or together, we were prompted to read the texts out loud, contributing a single line or a complete paragraph to get a feel of the texts as spoken forms rather than simply read to oneself.
We were invited to consider a range of possibilities that the practice of reading can offer, such as reflection, contemplation and realisation. As one of the central themes of Bashō’s work is travel, and in preparation for the afternoon’s writing task, we wrote our ‘first thoughts’ on words such as path, way and journey. This directness and spontaneity very much characterised the day.
A word that cropped up several times during the workshop was ‘permission’. Everyone seemed to feel comfortable to explore their own spaces through poetry or telling stories. Hearing each person read their own work was very powerful and at times very moving, and given the relatively short time for the workshop, the level of resolution and sophistication was extraordinary.
Why do you think writing is a good practice?
I’m sure there are many applications for writing that I am not familiar with. The main benefit for me has been that it feels like it can be an open space, unjudged, or at least that judgement comes later, when things have had a chance to crystallise.
Writing and journaling have helped to solidify my understanding and knowledge of a topic and to reflect on thoughts, feelings, and experiences, while also encouraging imaginative thinking and explore new ideas and perspectives.
The refining process of writing and rewriting has been very useful in terms of focus, responsibility and discipline. Asking, ‘is this really what I mean?’ Do I stand by what I have said? Right speech, perhaps.
How do you use writing in your own practice?
Having lived in Spain for four years as a child, I grew up reading comics and annuals in Spanish and didn’t read a word of English during that time. Returning to England at the age of eleven, I found myself quite disadvantaged at school. Reading was a struggle and the idea of writing for me, not even a remote possibility.
As a university lecturer writing has been used for assessment and feedback, so necessarily constructive, analytical and forward thinking. Being able to write in a way that is not unlike a meditation diary/journal without restrictions or parameters has been very revealing. Seeing the words in front of you gives them an autonomy, and I feel less caught up with them. I enjoy that detachment.
I have only recently begun to see writing as a creative possibility, writing short stories and poems that will hopefully come together into a book. Each poem or story is often paired with a photograph that has been the catalyst. Hopefully these sit alongside the writing rather than illustrate them.
How did you integrate the experience of the retreat into your life?
Since the retreat, I have adopted many of the strategies that Livi outlined; writing very brief ‘first thoughts’ responses to key words that relate to a particular topic that I want to write about. Focusing on arising content in the present moment has allowed for unexpected themes, avoiding the possibility of slipping into discrimination about what is a ‘worthy’ topic. So, as well as the seasons, family or nature, I have also written about supermarket egg sandwiches!
This process chimes very much with meditation, and I am enjoying the consistency there. They are open and seem to validate one another rather than only apply in this or that context. Making writing a daily habit brings mixed feelings, but again these are jotted down regardless to perhaps be revisited. There is also a sense of feeling unburdened, as there is no intention to focus on an outcome, while also acknowledging how paper thin the line is between attraction and avoidance.
Thanks to Livi and Daizan and all that attended for such a motivating and informative workshop.