Exploring Why Writing Matters

A new direction for the newsletter: Seeking out what drive writers to write.

As I barrel head down into a year devoted solely to teaching, writing fiction, and developing essays, I’ve been thinking a lot about this passion I have for writing, nail biting a bit, and doing a bit of soul searching too. 

I’m writing this newsletter a bit late. There are several reasons for this. First, I’ve been developing a calendar of classes that Honing House will offer this year (more on that later) and updating the website, which I wanted to have finished before sending this out. I’ve also been working on new class materials for Emerson, planning an excursion for my students (Paris, here I come), and grading.

But also important to note is that I’ve been giving this newsletter a lot of thought. Last month, I briefly suggested that I was considering a change to what I offer here. Not that anything with this newsletter is particularly broken—and I want to thank all of you who have reached out with encouraging messages—but I’m also interested in what this newsletter might have to offer beyond musings and writing exercises (the latter of which not everyone is interested in).

So, I’ve been mulling over how to expand the scope of what I write about here so that I can speak to a wider audience, not one strictly comprised of aspiring writers. I want to encourage writers, sure, but I also want to talk about more than just craft. I want to get to the bone of why writers do what they do, and I want to inspire others who might be on the fence about reaching for the pen with some gentle encouragement to create.

Why Does Writing Really Matter?

There are falling literacy rates across the world, and a decline in enrollment in the humanities, and this is worrying.

I’ve been thinking a lot about writing and its spiritual proportions. What we lose when we lose writing, when the culture turns its back on reading. I have a large stake to lose in a world that doesn’t engage with literature. But still, that question remains: why does writing matter, really? What does it offer that other mediums, such as film, or television, in their ubiquity can’t offer? Furthermore, why do writers write? What compels them to jot down stories when the pursuit offers so little security as a vocation, when the rejections keep coming, when it seems like the world is more interested in what’s on a screen than what’s on the page?

It is these questions—and probably a hundred more—that I’ll be exploring in this newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll dive into the thoughts of writers, editors, and teachers to find reasons to fight, to continue, with this beautiful art. Think of this newsletter, from here on out, as an impassioned argument for what good writing can do. Hopefully, it will introduce you to some new literature, some new voices, and a lot of inspiration.

The newsletter will continue biweekly, with a little break until the beginning of March. One edition will be free, and the other will be behind a paywall. I hope to offer really compelling articles that you’ll be eager to support. If you’re interested in supporting me right away, you can upgrade to a paid subscription below. Every penny helps.

Lastly, Another Special Announcement: New Classes at Honing House

As mentioned earlier, I’ve been working on the class calendar for Honing House. There are various classes running from the end of this month throughout the end of summer. You can check out the new classes here!

There will be more class announcements in the coming months to round out the end of the year, including a travel writing class (modified from the one I teach at Emerson—I’m excited about offering it to the public), a course based around National Novel Writing Month, an advanced fiction class building off the introductory seven-week course, and more.

I’ll always announce classes here, but if you’re interested in receiving Honing House specific news, feel free to subscribe to the Honing House Mailchimp newsletter. This is a Honing House specific newsletter that I’ll send out when new classes are available, discounts are offered, etc.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in a class!