At times, step away from your instrument to hear clearly.~Stephan Moccio

Recently, I conducted a teaching at my writing group. Here is my outline that I thought may be helpful to you as you move forward in your creative pursuits...

Over these last weeks, I've been intrigued by the concept of sounds that we convey in our writing. First a reading from The Sacred Journey, A Memoir of Early Days by Frederick Buechner.

I wrote these words at home on a hot, hazy summer day. On the wall behind me, an old banjo clock was tick-tocking the time away. Outside I could hear the twitter of swallows as they swooped in and out of the eaves of the barn. Every once in a while, in the distance, a rooster crowed, though it was well past sunup. Several rooms away, in another part of the house, two men were doing some carpentry. I could not make out what they were saying, but I was aware of the low rumble of their voices, the muffled sounds of their hammers, and the uneven lengths of silence in between. It was getting on toward noon, and from time to time my stomach growled as it went about its own obscure business which I neither understand nor want to. They were all of them random sounds, without any apparent purpose or meaning, and yet as I paused to listen to them, I found myself hearing them with something more than just my ears to the point where they became in some way enormously meaningful. The swallows, the rooster, the workmen, my stomach, all with their elusive rhythms, their harmonies and disharmonies and counter point, became, as I listened, the sound of my own life speaking to me. Never had I heard just such a coming together of sounds before, and it is unlikely that I will ever hear them in just the same combination again.Their music was unique and unrepeatable and beyond describing in its freshness...And yet as I listened to those sounds, and listened with something more than just my hearing, I was moved by their inexpressible eloquence and suggestiveness, by the sense I had that they were a music rising up out of the mystery of not just my life, but of life itself. In much the same way, that is what I mean by saying that God speaks into or out of the thick of our days.

Here are a few questions I'm curious to ask you.

What are your favorite sounds?

What sounds are associated with your writing?

If you attached a soundtrack to your writing, what would it be?

Perhaps God is like a great composer who spends part of His time creating soundtracks for everyone. In other words, this good Father, only light-filled, devoid of darkness, adores to compose soundtracks fitting to each person on earth. And His soundtracks for people are filled with His light and musicality. Perhaps we are attracted to the light because we hear the soundtrack of who we are.~From my blog post, The Sound Of Light, Oct 21, 2017

What are the sounds of God for you personally? Do you pair His ways and attributes with a particular sound--grace, wisdom, peace, sanctification, victory, repentance, love, forgiveness, abundance, comfort?

The neurological condition that causes people to "hear" colors is called sound-color synesthesia, a form of synesthesia where sounds trigger the involuntary experience of seeing colors. This is not a disorder, but a neurological condition where sensory pathways in the brain become "cross-wired," leading to a consistent and automatic sensory experience.

What colors might the sound of your writing inspire?

A writing exercise to consider for increasing the gift of sound in your writing:

For five consecutive days, be aware of sounds that you notice and document them. After five days, review your notes and write 200 words in any genre you choose, incorporating all or some of the sounds you documented.

Bring your work to our next session to read aloud.

A Blessing For Continued Inspiration:

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.~II Corinthians 13:14 (The Message)