Writing Advice from Andrea Gibson
When it comes to writing we look to those who have achieved success. I am often inspired by Andrea Gibson and the way they write in such a state of vulnerability. Thinking about my feelings towards their writing and style, this makes sense as this is notably one of the key pieces of advice they have shared.
Gibson answered ten questions with Poets and Writers. You can find their responses here.
In response to the question, “What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever heard?” Gibson responded as follows: “Write what you are terrified to write.” When I was first given that advice I struggled to write for almost a year because I wasn’t yet ready to write what I was afraid to write, and I didn’t want to waste my time writing anything else. These days, I consider that advice every time I begin a poem. I pay attention to what requires courage to say, and I do my best to try to say it.”
When we sit down to write it’s almost overwhelming. We focus on writer’s block (which I have established no longer exists to me), inspiration, how others perceive what we write, I digress, and the list goes on. Getting caught up with all of that I know I sit and write to produce poems or other forms of writing that only cover surface-level topics. Gibson has stated they lock themselves in their room to pace and talk to themselves, which if you think about it is incredibly vulnerable. Sitting in the silence of your mind and weighing the iron of your experience— to decide which stories are worthy of sharing is something I wish I was better at.
It is difficult to get to a point where you are bearing your soul with every word you scrawl on the page. If we combine the advice from Gibson and the last advice I shared from E.E. Cummings, writing about what makes you feel deeply and being vulnerable will not only elevate your writing, but it will enhance the authenticity and quality of your work. Gibson discusses courage and what words they are frightened to bring to the page. Mustering up the courage to say what you never have been able to could make all the difference.
Live to the fullest extent, love like it’s your last day here, and feel so deeply that others hear your truth and use it to better themselves (if you so choose). Gibson wrote in Jellyfish, “A doctor once told me I feel too much. I said, so does god. That’s why you can see the grand canyon from the moon.” Readers are looking for craters and constellations that remind them of the ones they’ve created, so what if you were the person to show them others see the same worlds and stars as they do?
Write what is terrifying. Find the words and dig deep. Forget the surface and take the plunge. No one else can tell your story like you can— because it’s yours. Own it. What’s something you’re terrified to write about? If you have a moment to comment what it is, maybe another reader can relate.
More about Gibson and their work can be found on Button Poetry’s Site or their website.
