Write of Passage Weekly

Hello writers,

Welcome back to Write of Passage Weekly, where we help you find greater freedom in life by sharing your ideas with the world.

Last week, you learned that memorable writing is what is most enjoyable to read. Today, you’ll learn how to expand your world by deepening your understanding of language.

Writing Sprints

Maybe you’re ready to start writing online but you can’t seem to get words on the page or hit that “Publish” button. If you’re looking for a deadline and accountability, join us for the next Writing Sprint, on November 3. You’ll write, edit, and publish an article in one day.

Discover What You Already Know

Austrian logician Ludwig Wittgenstein once said that “the limits of my language are the limits of my world.” This means that the way we find meaning in our surroundings is embedded in language, and that human expression limits human understanding.

For example, German is known for having words for specific states of being that lack English equivalents. Kummerspeck literally translates as “grief-bacon,” referring to the weight one has gained from emotional overeating. Or take handschuhschneeballwerf, which translates to “gloved-snowball-thrower” and describes a coward (i.e., someone who puts on gloves before a snowball fight).

In Russian, there are two words for the color blue, one defining lighter hues and the other, darker hues. Some observational studies found that native Russian speakers have a faster and sharper perception of shades of blue than English speakers.

A language gives you the tools with which you perceive the world. And writing is like sharpening, practicing with those tools of perception. 

The limits of your language are the limits of your world. If you wish to broaden your horizon, there are two options: go wider or go deeper. This means that you can either pick up a new language (a new toolbox), or you can write more. Learn a new language, and you’ll have more words to describe your world. Write more in your language, and you’ll become more perceptive of your world.

The purpose of writing is to explore the depths of what you already know. It’s about digging into your experiences and opening your eyes to what’s in front of you. It is the writer who puts words to what others experience but cannot understand. What profound truth is hiding within a typical Saturday with your kids? What spark of insight do you notice while catching up with a close friend? For most, these moments will pass by unnoticed. But the writer puts words to subtle feelings, which give more texture to life.

By expanding the limits of language, writers expand the limits of our worlds. Writing lets you get more humanity per unit of experience. Write more to go deeper, and expand the limits of your world.

How I Write Podcast

Riva Tez: Becoming a Free Thinker

Riva Tez is one of the freest writers out there. It’s as if the boundaries of conventional thinking don’t apply to her. She’s allergic to dogma and passionate about questioning the taboos of our time, and her obsessive research gene has given her a knack for stumbling upon forgotten and under-explored ideas.

She’s a singular human being. Part of her brilliance is the way she combines her love for Rilke’s poetry with an interest in philosophy, theology, and consciousness. In all three areas, she goes right after dogma — and by asking the questions that only she can ask, she finds the answers that only she can find.

In a world of people who are obsessed with optimization, Riva is passionately unoptimized; in a culture of people who are obsessed with the news, Riva has cut out almost all contemporary noise — from Netflix to the New York Times.

If you feel constrained in your writing or thinking, this episode is for you. An hour with Riva will free you from the trappings of your mind, unleash your creative spirit, and lift your head up to a divine calling.

Listen Now: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

From Our Alumni

"To Mother or Not to Mother"

Haley Brengartner: “Some days I internalize that not wanting children makes me a bad person. Is the slow life I desire — living among the mountainsides and trees, cultivating and living off the land, rock climbing the Earth’s stony faces, and living a deeply connected life to nature with my partner — a less meaningful existence? This question plagues me with a solemn sense of dread.”

Thank you for reading Write of Passage Weekly. This week, try to learn a new word or express yourself in a new way, to expand the limits of your world.

Happy writing,

The Write of Passage Team