"Listen To Your Broccoli"

“Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” – Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

I just finished reading the chapters called “The Moral Point of View” and “Broccoli” in Bird by Bird. They both really hit home for me. I am currently writing my first draft of my second novel and there are some ethical and moral dilemmas I am trying to write as sensitively as possible. The problem is, I’m not entirely sure where I stand on these issues!

Anne Lamott says that reality is complex; right and wrong may not be opposites. I think that in my current situation, instead of chastising myself and not getting any writing done, I should present both sides to my readers, offer them the pros and cons, and let them decide for themselves.

Generally, the goal of writers is to communicate what they have learned about life in an effort to help society improve.  However, I feel like I am not the only person who rolls their eyes whenever they read something preachy with a booming moral message. The message of a story should not be encased in a single sentence because truth cannot be packaged in a few words. Instead, the entire story or book should shed light on the ethical concepts that the author wants to reveal. Although I am on the fence about a couple issues, there are many others that I feel strongly about and want to share with my readers.

Ok moving onto “Broccoli”, which I found highly entertaining. Broccoli is the term Anne assigned to Intuition—the soft, little voice that tells you what’s real. Your rational mind won’t get you far in creative enterprises such as writing, so it is incredibly important that you learn to quiet the harsh, logical part of your brain and allow your subconscious to perk up, possibly for the first time since you were a child. A fabulous quote from Bird by Bird that I keep re-reading is: “The rational mind doesn’t nourish you… Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.” So stop doubting or second guessing your hunches. If you tell yourself that something that you want to write/paint/draw/dance/sing doesn’t make sense or won’t be popular or well-received by the masses, please tell your brain to shut the eff up.  You must allow yourself to be weird. "Listen to your broccoli."