Wild words

Like nature, it can be in the untamed and free that we find beauty and meaning, says our writing columnist, author and coach Jackee Holder

I LEFT THE small patch of green outside my kitchen window to its own devices earlier this year. The grass grew tall and dandelions and daisies filled every space. Spiky nettles stood guard like sentries. One morning, I noticed a rainbow chaffinch gobbling the head of a fluffy dandelion and laughed. My little wild meadow, untidy and uncontrolled, was a place of wildflowers, a sanctuary for hungry birds, butterflies and a bounty of bees.

Some days, the words on the pages of my journal resemble that overgrown scene. They tumble down and knot together in no particular order. Moments from my day and an unorganised narrative of thoughts collide from all directions. In the world of expressive writing, this is called wild writing. Write fast. Don’t pause or edit. Write as if punctuation and grammar had never been invented. If something raw comes up, let the tears come and keep writing. Try it now. Set a timer for 10 minutes – go!

What lies beneath?

For weeks, I enjoyed the fertile nature of my garden. Then I decided it was time to cut it back because the apple and olive trees were being consumed. Wild writing can be approached in a similar manner. That’s when I apply a journalling practice I’ve been using for 20 years, inspired by the book Soul Between The Lines: Freeing Your Creative Spirit Through Writing by Dorothy Randall Gray: When you are done, grab a different colour pen and read your wild writing. Look out for ‘seeds’ – a word that has energy and catches your attention. Sentences that radiate a sense that there’s something more are what Gray calls ‘food for thought’. Underline them and note any emerging themes. Now you have a set of prompts from which to continue.

Wild writing is my prescription against the insecurity that often overshadows my writing. In a nanosecond, the sniffy voice of my inner critic declaring, ‘You’ve got nothing to write about!’ or ‘Who wants to read what you have to say?’ goes mute. Wild writing bypasses the rational mind and takes you to what needs your attention. Write through your fear and sadness. Be open to your true nature. Write what matters.

Jackee is a writer, coach and creative. See jackeeholder.com; @Jackeeholder