45 Ways to Write About Grief
And a list-making invitation
Circle around it (for as long as needed).
Hold it like a troubling dream.
Cushion yourself with comfort.
Write gently, gently, gently.
Be wide-eyed, attentive, engaged.
Plaster your sadness all over the page.
Long for things to be different.
Be cautiously optimistic that grief will shift and change.
Cloak yourself in moonlight.
Commune with the sacred.
Dwell in rooted spaces.
Watch for wild traces.
Let words form like dewdrops on the smooth white page.
Invoke the wise elder who understands pain.
Tether yourself to golden threads that somehow know the way.
Be cordial, relaxed, friendly.
Demand explanations.
Let story rise to meet you.
Release goals of completion.
Wield a mighty pen.
Lessen expectations.
Express how you really feel.
Honor lived experience.
Be a silent observer in a strange dark land.
Scatter the seeds of permission.
Let storylines soar on fantastical wings.
Be open to exploring anything.
Let letters fall like feathers on the windswept page.
Conjure word-maps, mysteries, fresh constellations.
Tell about a cosmic unravelling.
Write yourself into existence.
Proclaim your non-negotiables.
Seek guidance, advice, wisdom.
Illuminate injustice.
Untangle, decipher, deflate.
Be wayward and nonsensical.
Be tense, guarded, irate.
Write to converse with loved ones.
Write to conspire with grief.
Write to cultivate freedom.
Write to seek relief.
Grip the pen, hurl the notebook, crumple (or burn!) the page.
Stumble, stammer, meander - repeat, repeat, repeat!
Write, if only to listen.
Grieve, believe, receive.
TRY THIS:
Brainstorm a list of things to write a list about. Then choose one and start writing! Forget about grammar, punctuation, spelling. Allow yourself to NOT make sense, to wander, to repeat. Re-read what you’ve written and circle anything that resonates. Notice patterns, insights, curiosities.
*Lists provide a sense of containment and direction when feeling scattered or overwhelmed (which are common experiences in grief).
