Write of Passage Weekly

Hello writers,

Welcome back to Write of Passage Weekly, home to the best writing advice on the Internet. 

Last week, you learned to write satire and avoid sarcasm. Today, you’ll learn how to find inspiration in the mundane.

But first, we’d like to share an opportunity with you:

At Write of Passage, we help students transform their lives by writing online. If you believe in that mission and want to contribute, you can join our new affiliate program. As one of our affiliates, you would help spread the word about the course and earn 30% commission on your sales. Anyone can apply, but there are limited spots available. If you’re interested, register here.

For Here or To Go?

In an age of convenience, we take life to go. We drink coffee from single-use paper cups with plastic lids. We eat our lunches with plastic forks from cardboard bowls. We drink while we walk, and we eat while we talk. We refuse to slow down because the next exciting thing is always calling to us from “over there.” So, our lives happen in tomorrowland. Never here. Never now. Never in the present.

We tend to split our experiences into two types of moments: “the mundane” and “the miraculous.” We rush through the mundane and chase the miraculous. We take life to go.

This attitude has led to a misconception about how artists create their art. People think that to be inspired, you have to be struck by a heavenly bolt of light. We have normalized the idea that inspiration is something otherworldly and consecrated. We don’t expect it to happen while we’re brushing our teeth or tying our shoes. We assume that artists are only inspired by the extraordinary — by the miraculous. But that’s not the case.

Jørn Utzon, the Danish architect who designed the Sydney Opera House, had the idea for the building’s unique shape one morning while he was peeling an orange. Henry David Thoreau, one of the great American writers, wrote Walden simply by reflecting on pastoral living and his natural, ordinary surroundings. Mary Oliver, author of many famous poems, was inspired by solitary walks in nature.

These writers moved slowly enough to find inspiration in mundane moments. Are you moving too fast to find it? Are you taking life to go? Maybe you detest boredom or hate spending time alone. But if you stop and listen to it, the rhythm of life can be breathtaking. The motions of washing dishes; the tempo of a commute through a busy city; the symphony of textures, colors, and sounds at a cafe — all these mundane moments can be inspiring. 

The world has stories for those who listen and ideas for those who observe. Yet, creativity will escape you if you are too busy chasing the miraculous. Slow down and write from the mundane.

From Our Team

Regurgitating vs. Understanding

David uses a scene from Good Will Hunting to talk about the educational value of tactile, first-hand experience.

Orson Welles's Definition of Style

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” – Orson Welles

Thank you for reading Write of Passage Weekly. We’ll be back next week with more of the best writing advice on the Internet.

Happy writing,

The Write of Passage Team

P.S. We are hiring for two full-time roles. 

• Chief Revenue Officer: We are looking for an exceptional individual with a proven track record of building businesses to at least $20m in annual revenue who will work alongside our leadership team to scale Write of Passage. If you, or someone you know, meets these criteria, then check out the full job description.
  
  
• Director of Experience: We believe that great products are built via subtle and compounding improvements. We're obsessed, and so are our students. We're hiring a Director of Experience to help us innovate an already great writing course. If you're a gifted public speaker with facilitation experience and a passion for education, we want to talk to you. Apply here.