How to Create Wonder on the Page

And how to tap into creative flow

I’ve been meaning to write and send this newsletter since August, when the Writer’s Digest issue above first appeared on newsstands—or in your mailboxes. This whole issue is fantastic for writers of any genre.

My article, “Creating Everyday Wonder: How to Mine Awe from the Mundane” looks at several different books—both fiction and nonfiction—and what technique each author used to evoke a sense of awe in the reader.

Here’s an excerpt:

Zooming In and Bullet Time

In order to function in our world, we take many complex processes for granted—unfettered access to utilities, the functioning of our bodies, that hummingbirds and bees will continue to spread pollen. Each of these processes, though, is the inevitable result of dozens to hundreds of earlier moments.

Writers can evoke wonder by zooming in and slowing down time (“bullet time”) or zooming in to show details invisible to the human eye.

A masterclass of this approach is Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, which entwines two narratives, one set in Japan and one on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. The latter gives rise to many moments of wonder like this

The Internet was their primary portal onto the world, and a portal that was always slamming shut. Their access was supplied through a 3G cellular network, but … The signal had to travel across miles of churning oceans, through densely saturated air, and then, once it reached their shores, thread its way through the tall, wind-lashed treetops.

While Ozeki is writing about a remote island, the same holds true for anyone who has ever texted a friend across the country or the ocean.

To read the rest, buy a copy from your local newsstand, or you can purchase a digital edition here.

Tapping into Creative Flow

Over the summer, I had a wonderful conversation with Gabriela Blandy, who hosts the Wild Muse podcast and the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize. We covered so many topics, and at the root—no pun intended—of all of them was the power of nature.

That’s all for now. I hope those of you in the Southeastern United States are staying safe. Happy autumn!