Welcome to Micro Monday, where you get a quote and a writing prompt every Monday to help you build a portfolio of work. This week: fierce knowing.
Quote of the Week: “We all reach a point in our lives when we realize that we know better than anyone else just what we need and want. It’s a fine place to be.” Gwen Diehn
Writing Prompt of the Week: Write about the journey of a letter from the moment it was mailed. Where does it go, who touches it, and what happens until it reaches its destination? Get creative!
If you’re new to micro and writing with me, check out this post here. If you’d like to read some micro narratives, this anthology, Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story, is filled with stories 100 words or less.
Everyday Decisions
Every day we make hundreds of decisions, big and small. Sometimes we meet these decisions with uncertainty, and other times we know exactly what to do.
You may waffle on what to wear to work or what to eat for breakfast, whether public school or private school (or homeschool) is the best choice for your child, if you should rent or if you should buy. You may make a decision and then regret it a moment later. You may find yourself staring at a new car, a new dress, a cupcake, a flatscreen TV. You’re unable to commit yet unable to turn away.
Other things don’t require a second thought. You make a decision without any fanfare or drama, you sign on the dotted line, you pluck an item off the shelf and drop it in your cart then move on down the aisle. You say yes. You say no. You add a pinch of salt, a dab of butter, just enough red wine to the sauce. These things you just know.
And then there’s fierce knowing.
What is Fierce Knowing?
Fierce knowing abides with beliefs and feelings that run deep. This kind of knowing is visceral in nature, determined by circumstance or experience. You physically feel the rightness/wrongness of a moment or decision in your body. You can’t “learn” it—you know it when you feel it. You can’t articulate why you feel this way or how you know what you know—you just do. There’s no waffling, no indifference. It’s non-negotiable, not up for discussion.
The writer’s path is often littered with emotional debris. Doubt, uncertainty, second-guessing, lack of confidence. Can I write this? Should I write this? This isn’t very good. I’m not very good. I should give up. This is terrible. This is hard. This doesn’t make any sense. And so on.
But then you write a sentence, a scene, a beginning, an ending. You feel it click into place. Wow, that was good. Perhaps you’re crafting a difficult letter after a long estrangement or misunderstanding. That’s what I wanted to say. That feels right. Maybe you’re doing research and coming up empty when you meet someone who says exactly what you need to hear. That couldn’t have been more perfect, thank you.
Fierce knowing abides with beliefs and feelings that run deep. This kind of knowing is visceral in nature, determined by circumstance or experience. Click To TweetTrust Yourself
Fierce knowing lets you stand wherever you are and say, “This is what I know, this is what I believe.” You are so solid in this knowing that you don’t try to convince other people—you don’t have to. Fierce knowing has no agenda. It doesn’t have to be grand or complicated. It doesn’t have to make sense. But you know you can trust it, even if no one else does.
Within that fierce knowing is a quiet truth that speaks to you. It affirms your own wisdom to make the right call or go down the road less traveled. It offers kindness when you’re uncertain. Don’t worry, it’ll be clear when it’s meant to be clear. You know that feeling. Cultivate it. Remember it. It’ll keep you anchored and grounded, reminding you that you’ve felt it before and can feel it again.
If you’re looking to strengthen your confidence as a writer, Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life is full of wisdom on how to carve out your personal writing style. You can also check out our post on finding your writing voice.
If you’ve written some micro you’re proud of, share it in the comments below. Until next time, write well!
This post originally appeared in Darien’s column, The Writer’s Corner, in North Hawaii News, and has been gently modified for writer-ish.com.
