Opening to the Page

What I've learned . . . and a retreat in Sicily!!

Hello and welcome to winter! To give you something sunny to look forward to, stay tuned until the end where I will share information about a retreat I’ll be co-leading in Sicily next year. 🌞

This newsletter is free for all. Sign up, if you haven’t already, so you won’t miss a post.

You might have noticed that I didn’t send out a post last weekend. It’s been a low few weeks as I’ve battled the flu and a general brain fogginess from congestion and symptoms of Meniere’s disease. Last week was the worst, hence the silence. I hope you didn’t miss getting my regular Satruday post!

During this slow, low-energy period, I’ve been reflecting, which fits this season of increasing darkness. In Scotland, you really notice the coming of winter as the light fades. The sun never gets very high in the sky. It perpetually looks like it’s near sunset right now, heading towards the Winter Solstice. And it’s gotten colder as well. Last week was downright arctic. And we even had a wonderful blanket of snow to wake up to on Sunday. That was magical!

One of the things I’ve been reflecting on is my journey as a writer. As you know, I’ve been doing a Master’s in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, and that has been such a whirlwind! We have 2 more weeks of class, and then a long break, during which I will write more about what I’ve been learning about writing fiction. But I’ve also been thinking about what I’ve been learning, in the course and beyond, about writing creatively (as opposed to researched nonfiction writing).

I’m a voracious learner, so I’ve consumed all kinds of writing advice and instruction. However, I’ve realized that all of the podcasts, webinars, articles, and books I’ve been reading or listening to have filled me full of warnings and admonitions that can be a barrier to writing. Have you experienced this as well?

How does it feel to listen to a respected agent/editor/writer talk about what not to do? Don’t do this or that on page 1. Don’t write about such-and-such a topic, or from this or that perspective. Don’t write from an outline—but wait, don’t write without an outline! Don’t try to publish your writing—instead, put in a drawer for a year and then read it again to see much work it still needs.

Writing at Cafe Flore in Paris last year

Okay, I have learned a lot from the writing sages out there, but that has really just made me a better editor of others’ work and my own. It hasn’t helped—in fact it has hindered—the very first step in the whole process: getting the words onto the page.

Listening to all of the “don’t’s” is the opposite of inspiring. We don’t want to make mistakes, we want to get it right. We want to do it well and hopefully get published. But seeking out so much advice can kill our faith in ourselves and our innate ability to speak our own truth.

I’ve written before about becoming a student again and beginner’s mind. That is what writing requires as well—every time you sit down to write. As a reminder: the Zen Buddhist concept of beginner’s mind is about being open, empty, and free of preconceived ideas.

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.”-- Shunryū Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

I said that I didn’t want to become an expert about fiction writing. That means that every day, every time I sit down to write, I don’t really know what I’m doing. It’s hard because I want to feel competent, like I’m in control. But creative writing can’t be approached that way. My tutor, Beth Underwood, keeps telling me, “just write!” She wants me to forge ahead and see what happens on the page when I just turn myself loose. Scary! But exciting, too!

In order to do that, though, I need to tune out all of the “don’t’s.” Think about what impact those have. Do an experiment:

1) Close your eyes and then say the word “No” to yourself. What do you feel?

2) Then, eyes still closed, say the word “Yes” to yourself. How does that feel?

When I first did that experiment, I felt myself closing up when I heard “No.” And when I heard “Yes,” I could feel myself opening up, like a flower.

This is just one of the many things I’ve figured out in my quest to open myself to the page, so that when I sit down to write, I am full of curiosity and possibility, not fear and doubt.

Opening in Sicily

So when my friend Michelle Titus, of Cummari in Sicily, asked me to host a retreat with her next year, I knew what I wanted the theme to be:

Opening to the Page

Tools for Creative Writing and Living

I’m excited to go back to Sicily and to be working with Michelle, who really is a force for positive change through women’s community in this world. It starts with each of us, and it starts, I believe, with opening. That is such a magical word to me. Opening was my Word of the Year when I was traveling (and I was in Sicily, staying at Cummari when I first decided that!). Remaining open to possibilities and the people I met has brought me so much joy and wonder. (I wrote about that in one of my first posts on Substack.)

Being open as a writer starts with being open in life as well. And for that, I highly recommend the work of Buddhist teacher Tara Brach, who has a whole series of meditations related to open awareness. Basically, anything by her is pure gold. More recently I’ve also been reading the book Living Untethered by Michael Singer, which is all about opening to the moment in front of you and letting go of the past wounds that have closed us off to experience and to others.

In my writing, I have learned to cultivate an open energy to help the words flow. It’s a constant practice, not something you learn and then apply once for all time, or rigidly every day. Because openness is anything but rigid. It means letting what wants to come, come, which can be different every day.

Lately, it has meant resting and reading and writing around the edges of my novel-in-progress, rather than writing new scenes, which troubled me at first. But now I can see that my body has been in healing mode and the mind is following suit.

Join Us in Sicily

Next year is going to be a busy one as I continue working on my course. But as soon as it is over, I will be meeting up with Michelle and a small group of writers and seekers in Sicily, from Oct. 8-12, 2025. You can learn more here.

Some more reading/listening

Madeleine Dore is thinking about whether or not she should leave London. She wrote to me and we had a chat about leaving things/places, so it’s nice to see how the piece came together. It’s extremely thoughtful and might be useful to some of you thinking about leaving.

Last, but not least, there is a cool new podcast, “The Bibliotherapsists,” with some smashing guests! I can’t believe that I will be one of them. Also Beth Kempton, Emma Gannon, Clare Venus, and many more!!

A new podcast for word nerds! Ep #1: Meet The Bibliotherapists (Toni interviews Tanya)

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the holiday season now upon us. I’d love to hear your thoughts about openness, retreats, writing creatively, anything that is on your mind.

Also, in case you missed it, or even if you read it but haven’t checked back yet . . . dip in to the comments on my last post and see who is your area or who is interested in an online meet-up or group. There are so many great opportunities for connection here:

https://anneboydrioux.substack.com/p/hungry-for-community

Until next time,

Anne

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please click on the heart at the bottom or the top of this email/post. It helps others discover Audacious Women, Creative Lives. And makes me super happy!