Hidden Voices: Writing in an Alternative Genre
What I’ve learned after two weeks of writing gothic horror poetry
Full disclosure; this is not a piece advising you on how to write. After all, it has been only a year since I began to share my words. I am reflecting upon the process of writing, following a very interesting two weeks exploring an alternative to my regular genre of narrative non-fiction. As a reader, I also adore gothic horror, so why have I not written in this genre before?
As a Journal Therapy Coach, I work with the written word to identify and release the voice of my clients. This process I know well but it wasn’t until this experiment did I realise how important it is to apply similar principles towards creative writing, more specifically, your voice as a writer.
Quill and Crow Publishing House delves into the deliciously macabre world of gothic poetry and fiction. Enjoying a strong Twitter presence within the writing community, founder by Cassandra L Thompson, explains further how the daily Crow Calls prompts began,
“Crow Calls came into fruition as a way to encourage writers to share their poetry on social media. We did not anticipate the level of response and loved watching the prompts evolve in different styles based on the different poets. This idea turned into reality, and two Crow and Calls gothic poetry anthologies were born, both capturing the unique voices of the poets”
As a reader, I both adore and am astounded by the poetry produced via the #crowcalls prompts, on 1st August I decided to finally join in.
Oh my. It has truly had a profound impact on my writing voice in the following ways.
- Training The Creative Muscle ~ By starting my day responding to a prompt and simply getting the words down, I am finding my creativity is enlivened, more accessible and flowing must faster. This absolutely has a positive impact on all of my writing, regardless of genre.
- Embracing Your Shadow Voice ~ This is a major theme within Journal Therapy and this exercise has made me realise its relevance within my writer’s voice. Until I had delved into the macabre world of gothic horror, I can see I was a “third eye” writer, subtly positioning the Voice Gatekeeper, judging how my words would be seen as a reflection of me as a person. I had been unconsciously heavily editing my writing voice. One phrase, creative graveyard. As with our personal voice, if we are judging our writing voice by how others perceive us, we hand over our power. Standing by our words, be they light-filled or shaded in darkness, if they are a true reflection of our voice, we are standing, and writing, in our power. It is real, authentic, and undisputable.
- Diversity And Courage of Voice ~ Reading the poems posted each day, I am constantly amazed at how a singular word is interpreted through the lens of each writer, each as valid as the next. There’s room for us all. It takes bravery to put your words out there, particularly when they are dealing with the murkier realms of the human soul. I have come through these two weeks a far more courageous writer, paradoxically both less and more precious about my words. I don’t wait for perfection to free them while proudly owning their place in my writer’s process.
- A Richer Writer’s Voice~ Regardless of whether I continue to write within the experimental genre of gothic horror, there is another huge benefit I have noticed. When working on my collection of personal essays regarding my experiences of being adopted, my writing voice feels more fleshed out, it has greater light and shade than before, which can surely only be a positive development.
- Extended Vocabulary ~ During these two weeks I have discovered some delicious new words; amorphous, eviscerate, rancor, quixotic, hubris, to name but a few. My wordsmith palette is far more colourful than before.
- Every Word Counts ~ By writing on the Twitter platform, you are contained to 280 characters. There is no room for waffling, no space for extraneous words, and every single word choice has to work hard for its place. I have found this mindset has spilled over into my longer pieces of fiction.
- Fun!~I’ve had the most enormous fun! It has given me license to play, with genre, with words, with voice, and with other writers. It can be a lonely pursuit, writing, and I have discovered a wonderful, supportive community with threads across the globe.
So, why not give it a go? Experiment with writing in a different genre and participate in a group providing daily writing prompts. You never know, there could be an interesting, hidden voice patiently waiting to be heard.
Michele Grieve is Writer, Tree Seer, Journal Therapy Coach, and eternal tree hugger. @Page_soul @QuillandCrow www.quillandcrowpublishinghouse.com
