!

ana 8oslnskl
CC8 632
2 CcLober 2013

WrlLlng, LmbodlmenL, and narraLlve

Sondra erl's !"#$ &"'(" puLs language, aLLenLlon, and meLhod Lo someLhlng LhaL, as a
Leacher of sLudenL wrlLers and a sLudenL wrlLer myself, ls so cruclal Lo recognlze - LhaL we don'L
compose as dlsembodled from whaL we're slLuaLed wlLhln. 1hls ls someLhlng LhaL ls dlfflculL Lo
arLlculaLe Lhough because lL feels nebulous - one can'L qulLe puL Lhelr flnger on lL. 1he
relaLlonshlp beLween wrlLer and LexL lsn'L always harmonlous, ln facL, l mlghL go as far as Lo say
LhaL aslde from personal" wrlLlng, ofLen sLudenL wrlLers don'L see a place for Lhemselves ln
Lhelr LexLs - Lhey shouldn'L be physlcally presenL (no use of l", ob[ecLlvlLy, removed speech or
speech adopLlon, eLc.). leellng )"#$ ("'(" comes from whaL erl descrlbes as slowlng down, LhaL
ofLen comes flrsL as an unclear, barely noLlceable bodlly sensaLlon. lrequenLly, lL ls
sllghLly dlsLurblng because lL calls aLLenLlon Lo whaL ls [usL on Lhe edge of our Lhlnklng
buL noL yeL arLlculaLed ln words" (xlll).

unllke an emphasls of recurslve wrlLlng process whlch places focus on dellneaLed sLages for
sLudenL wrlLers, and whlch lmpllclLly suggesLs a focus or ldea has already been selecLed Lo
advance, felL sense seems Lo geL aL whaL l conslder lnvenLlon. erl quesLlons, WhaL happens
when sLudenLs wrlLe? WhaL helps Lhem move forward? WhaL geLs ln Lhe way?" (3). l Lhlnk Lhls
ln parL sLems from an emphasls on selecLlng a Loplc Lo commlL Lo or follow Lhrough wlLh
Lhlnklng on wlLhouL room Lo explore Lhrough wrlLlng Loward composlng a LexL. 1hls comes noL
from a process, buL a meLhod of quesLlonlng ln erl's felL sense LhaL beglns by
asklng wrlLers Lo slow down, Lo pay aLLenLlon Lo Lhelr bodles, Lo relax. *( Lhey progress,
from slmple llsL maklng Lo more complex lmaglng, wrlLers are dlrecLed Lo llsLen
aLLenLlvely Lo whaL ls aL Lhe edge of Lhelr LhoughLs, Lo whaL lsn'L yeL ln words" (8).

WrlLlng Lhls way helps Lo desLablllze Lhe dreaded l don'L have anyLhlng Lo wrlLe abouL"
because lL reframes wrlLlng beyond blnary concepLlons of have an ldea vs. don'L have an ldea -
Lhe ldea(s) ls ln Lhe maklng. AcLlvaLlng Lhls -lng Lo makes lL more of a process of worklng
Loward someLhlng, someLhlng noL fully arLlculaLed buL presenL and ln acLlon/enacLlng. AcLlon
requlres wrlLlng Lo be an acL, LhaL ls a noLlon of movemenL LhaL engages Lhe body and Lhe mlnd
and Lhe maLerlals LhaL Lhe body ls lmmersed ln/connecLed Lo as poLenLlal. l'm so drawn Lo
erl's, uslng psychoLheraplsL/phllosopher Cene Cendlln's )+,-(.'/, lllumlnaLlon of space
(someLhlng Lo occupy and enacL) as dlfferenL from vold (nonspace Lo occupy) Lhrough Cendlln's
symbol

whlch sLands for a space LhaL ls open buL noL blank. lL also sLands for: Lhe place ln our bodles
where we conLacL a felL sense whaL happens when we conLacL a felL sense Lhe sLrlng of words
LhaL mlghL, could, and wlll ulLlmaLely flL or flll ln Lhe open space when Lhey do come" (31).
A blank, or a space, Lo engage Lhe '+$ 0"$ (1.2 (37) makes lnvenLlon as wrlLlng noL someLhlng
new" ln so far as lL ls orlglnal", buL LhaL Lhe lnvenLlon lles ln Lhe wrlLer saylng someLhlng
dlfferenL. l feel llke ofLen Llmes Lhls lsn'L able Lo come Lo frulLlon ln wrlLlng because lL's Loo
much of a rlsk Lo sLudenLs. ln developlng wrlLlng from a felL sense of embodlmenL, maLerlals for
composlng LhaL Lhe sLudenL ls lmmersed ln physlcally and semloLlcally become someLhlng Lhey
access Lhrough awareness, Lhrough Lhelr own embodlmenL Lhey can wrlLe Loward whlle also
wrlLlng wlLh. erl explalns LhaL
A Lheory of embodled knowlng clalms LhaL Lo creaLe someLhlng new, Lo say someLhlng
fresh, Lo Lhlnk new LhoughLs, we cannoL overlook Lhe body or preLend lL ls noL Lhere: we
have Lo begln wlLh lL" (60).

A place Lo sLarL wrlLlng ls Lhe self, and from Lhere, Lhe maLerlals Lhe body ls lmmersed wlLhln.