Appointments For Adventure 9: Ad Lib
Today I did a fifteen minute interview with JD from 98five FM about my writing journey and some tips for budding writers. I’m no expert, but for the last month we’ve been chatting about the writing life, the process and creativity.
Usually we prepare in advance and I think through my answers carefully, hoping to pack the interview with lots of good advice for listeners. Today we ad libbed.
We had a general topic and just went with the flow. We began with the question, ‘Is writing an intuitive process?’ Then went off on tangents from there.
It’s always interesting to see where a conversation goes when it’s ad libbed. You find yourself saying things perhaps a little more revealing and perhaps a little more raw than if you prepare and sift through your thoughts beforehand.
I can’t recall the things I said, but one topic was about faith in writing. I talked about the idea that we can’t help but reflect our faith in our writing as it’s part of who we are. I said I don’t want to preach to anyone or judge. I want to write a good story that may provoke people to ask the big questions in life about faith, spirituality and what’s important to focus on as we journey along.
It made me think about who I write for. I write for people who don’t necessarily go to church, but have a God-consciouness. People who may be from a different religion or race from me. Or whose sexuality may be other than mine. I’m hoping that the spiritual principles that inform my writing may resonate with the reader, but not ‘hit them over the head’.
Sometimes when we talk freely our passions emerge and we articulate something that we may have thought, but suddenly it becomes clearer.
Ad libbing is not advisable all the time, but sometimes when we wing it, the truth comes out.
It’s like that when we have good chats with friends and we can share honestly and openly. I also had coffee with a couple friends today and the chats were open, honest and revealing. They were truly ad-libbed and they were fabulous.
Interesting!
You have to grab moments when they happen. I like to improvise and ad lib.
Denzel Washington
#365adventure is a book lover’s year of adventures. Adventures in travel, friendship, family, soul, heart and, of course, book stores!
