Writing as rebellion. And other news...

I am a huge believer that we need to go inwards before we can go outwards.

Work on ourselves, build capacity, self-understanding, self-compassion and self-love. Otherwise, we can't offer the same to others. 

The patriarchal system we live in teaches us to focus entirely outward: to judge, grade, produce, compare, and fix. It’s why genres and movements like memoir, autofiction, confessional poetry, and écriture féminine are so often criticised or dismissed (by this system!) as indulgent. We are taught that writing about ourselves means we are trapped in our own tiny bubble.

But IMHO, examining our inner world isn't self-absorption. It’s about disentangling ourselves and disentangling from the system that tries to keep us small. It's about going back to body and heart in order to connect and understand others. 

So I say never shy away from writing about the self if that’s what you are being called to do – ultimately, everything we write is about the self. It's just in disguise. Even in the (too many) fiction courses I've taken, it is widely said that every character in a novel is a facet of the author’s own character.

So revel in the unique, perfectly imperfect beauty of you. Write it down. Writual. Tell me everything. I want to hear it. 

If you’d love some poetry and other prompts that explore the Self & Belonging, then there is now a whole month's worth of prompts in my online community, The Well. I am also hoping to have a guest prompter for our month on Memories and Memoir in 2027, so stay tuned for that too. 

If you’d like the first 3 months of membership FREE, just email me chantal@writual.com.au and I’ll send you a gift code.

Happy Writualing!

Chantal xxx

AND OTHER NEWS...

November on The Well

On Monday, our new theme Trees, Bees & Fungi begins, where we look at nature and eco-writing. If you are keen to join The Well, or even just the free Zoom writing circle, reply to this email. If you have a friend you think might be interested, please forward this email and ask them to contact me.

Return to Heart Retreat in May 2027 - Super Early Bird ends 30th November

Keen to join Dani Van de Velde and me in Java, Indonesia for 5 days and nights of ritual and writual (and good food and beautiful accommodation)? The super early bird special ends 30th November, when we need to confirm with the venue that we are going ahead. Right now, they have 10 beautiful deluxe rooms on hold for participants. So don't delay.

Check out the full programme or complete the registration form to secure your space. You can read about last year's retreat here.

Let the words wash over you

An updated article on the Neuroscience behind Writual.

“By writing her self, woman will return to the body which has been more than confiscated from her, which has been turned into the uncanny stranger on display - the ailing or dead figure, which so often turns out to be the nasty companion, the cause and location of inhibitions. Censor the body and you censor breath and speech at the same time. Write your self. Your body must be heard. Only then will the immense resources of the unconscious spring forth.” ― Hélène Cixous, The Laugh of the Medusa