sotto voce

“People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote – a very different thing.” – Walter H. Judd

I decided to leave the default WordPress title for this post in place because it serves as a fitting reminder of what this blog is about: introducing my stories and thoughts to the world.

Several years ago I began posting on two writing forums at Cafe Utne: 14/30 and Writing Down The Bones. In 14/30 the prompt is a list of 14 words chosen at random, spending no more than 30 minutes writing a short narrative piece using all 14 words in the order in which they appear on the posted list. Writing Down The Bones is based Natalie Goldberg‘s book of the same name. In WDTB you get 10 minutes to write on a suggested topic for inspiration without worrying about any of the conventions of writing — punctuation, grammar, spelling, anything. You just write. In WTDB we discover that many of the “rules” for good writing and good sex are the same: Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don’t think. Goldberg brings a touch of both Zen and eroticism to her writing practice, the latter in exercises and anecdotes designed to ease you into your body and your whole spirit while you create, the former in being where you are, working with what you have, and writing from the moment. You may see more than one post with the same title in WDTB and the same set of words in 14/30 because more than one author has chosen to write something based on the prompt. I hope you enjoy the variety that produces.

The Cafe Utne forums can now be found at The New Cafe. Some of the old forums are still there, although less visited it seems, so I thought I’d continue on my own along with some friends. I’ll be posting there as well, but this seems like a great place to consolidate my writing.

Critiques and comments on things that you find interesting, compelling, moving, funny, pleasing, etc. are welcomed. We’ll be stretching our writing muscles here; learning, doing, living, and being, so please, this is meant to be a dialogue. Just be nice.

Paul DeLuca