Lauren Wolk's "Writing Without a Map"
Only an hour past the colorless sunset and the dreary November night was pitch black. Sailboat mast stays whistle as gusts rush across the boat yard and onto the harbor.
Through the heavy mist, warm lights twinkle at the Marion Music Hall. Sheltered under the brick archway, you shake off the damp and enter the auditorium with its warm, wood floors, soaring ceilings and large arched windows.
Cecil Clark Davis portraits line the east and south walls of this community space. Quick, grab one of the chairs facing the stage! The Sippican Historical Society’s Speaker Series will begin soon.
In the Society’s 2023 Speaker Series, Lauren Wolk captivated a multi-generational audience with the inspiration and research for her novel Beyond the Bright Sea. With new projects under her belt, it is a pleasure to have her this blustery night.
“When Lauren said she would like to talk about her writing process, I realized it was an opportunity to support our collection,” Sippican Historical Society Executive Director Alanna Nelson said in her introduction. “Our archives hold oral histories, memoirs and video interviews, mainly from the last 50 years. Perhaps Lauren will inspire you to tell a Marion story this winter and share it with our archives.”
Lauren Wolk is a fluid storyteller. In this presentation, “Writing Without A Map,” she describes herself as a pantser- she writes by the seat of her pants.
While other writers may meticulously outline or create planning documents, she allows herself to be guided by intuition, memory, setting, and stories (historical or imagined), tempered by time. A large screen on the stage behind Lauren shines with interesting quotes, photos, and illustrations, but you could easily just close your eyes, allowing her rich voice and thoughtful words to wash across your auricles.
“I don’t consider myself a writer, yet I found her talk fascinating,” said one attendee afterwards.
Lauren begins her writing process with quiet moments, waiting for the muse to spark. Her mind travels, wanders, and she patiently waits. Words flow on Lauren’s various projects as she writes first thing every morning. After the spark, time passes, which allows ideas to simmer until there is a click. Following her intuition, the pieces fall into place and she begins book writing in earnest. Some novels could be complete in a few months. Other times, questions may arise and she sets the project aside, returning once those questions answer themselves and word flow begins again.
In the last 18 months, collaboration with visual artist Jackie Reeves opened new horizons for Lauren. Together, they pick a topic. Jackie creates an animated interpretation and sends it to Lauren. Lauren composes a poem that speaks to the images. Her spontaneous reaction to the animated visuals are captured and brought together. With no revisions, she mixes music with her spoken word and a short film is born. They call the collaboration Inklines and they’ve submitted several of these short films to festivals.
During the question and answer, Lauren recommended that writers consider applying to the Cuttyhunk Writer’s Residency. After mingling and lingering, attendees returned to the cold night.
You can’t help but wonder what stories might spark from Lauren’s talk. Even writers who thrive with a detailed plan can bask in memories, settings and stories, detouring from the step by step directions, knowing that their paths will be there, waiting.
