Deep Enders,
I hope you're doing well and recovering from Halloween. π
For those of us who have children, now the surveillance work begins to prevent sugar overdoses. π
Wedge Moments
I like to think of a wedge moment as an encounter that leaves someone irrevocably changed.
The encounter could be with a person, place, or thing.
It could be spiritual.
The important part is this: Something about the experience prevents a return to the status quo. Even if you want to be the same, you cannot.
Such was my time in the Smoky Mountains.
There were 18 of us.Β
Six writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Each of our groups was led by an established author.
Underneath the canopy of the Smokies, we wrote.
We talked about writing.
We read each other's writing.
We wrote some more.
It's one thing to talk about staying in the deep end and it's another thing to actually be thrashing and bobbing about down there.
That was me last week. ππΎββοΈ
I'll give you an example.
My peers read my short story. They critiqued what worked and didn't work in the piece.
For 30 minutes, I had to sit in silence as they articulated the good, bad, and ugly.
Silence...π€
I hadn't been this nervous since my first year of law school.
But unlike law school, this was "good anxiety".
In law school, my main concern was not looking like a fool in front of my peers. At the writing camp, I was anxious about getting better at the craft.
Open Mic
So we did this thing where you read a 3-minute slice of your work.
In. front. of. everyone.
I read an excerpt from my short story and afterwards, Richard Powers walks up to me and says:
"You should turn that into a novel."
And so I am.
Instead of taking the return flight from Knoxville to Austin, I drove back to Texas.
The thought of locking myself into a cylinder with 150 other humans didn't sit right with me.
I needed space to unpack the week.
Driving into Austin, I came to this conclusion:
I am walking into a new existence.
I'm rearranging my home, reorganizing my calendar, and shifting my time in the direction of this book.
Moving forward, I'll share my lifeletter on the first of each month.Β
I've enjoyed our weekly cadence for the past four years. This new tempo will widen my surface area for writing fiction.
I love you.
Stay In The Deep End.
I spend my time speaking, writing, reading and thinking (oh and shuttling five kids across Austin, Texas).
This newsletter is a completely reader-supported publication. If you love it and want to support it, the best ways are to buy my books, hire me to speak, or become a paid subscriber. ππΎββοΈ
A novelβs format for voice may just be the next best platform to touch areas of your life youβve only partially known and shared...and the world is waiting for the revelation. Looking forward to it!
Love the concept of a βwedge momentβ. Call it what you want, when we experience something that shifts our thinking and requires a life-pivot, nothing is ever the same.
I look forward to the novel and hope to continue reading your letters.