A Note On Object writing

Hey there! Hope this finds you well!

As my career has progressed, I feel I’ve gotten more in touch with my voice as a writer - a never ending quest. One of the things that has always helped me write has been to start my days with an object write. I was introduced to object writing in my songwriting and lyric writing classes taught by Scarlet Keys and Pat Pattison at Berklee. At that point, I was curious about songwriting, but really, I had never written a song in my life. I had, however, turned to poetry to express the emotions I felt, but that I could never seem to get out in the moment (being the introvert that I am, that should be no surprise). And when we did our first few object writes, I felt I could really dig in with the imagery and I loved how quickly and easily it was to get to a more imaginative place. I was hooked.

The point of object writing is to write using your five senses plus the senses in your body and how your body moves. What you end up with are really imaginative and deep images to jumpstart writing a song or really any type of writing. Check out Pat Pattison’s books and tips on songwriting here. The point is not to be grammatically correct or even to write in full sentences, but purely to connect with your body and get more in tune with your feelings and emotions. It’s almost like a meditation on the page for me.

I’m starting this page on my website to help me get back into object writing and once again, dive deeply every day. I have had a busy touring schedule of 100-150+ dates per year in the last couple years, building my career along the way and I couldn’t find the energy or the time to sit down for 10 uninterrupted minutes to write. But, with the pandemic, I’ve embarked on a lot of self-discovery projects and body/mind/spirit growth and I want to get back to viewing my day through the lens of an object writer. That is to say, through a very vibrantly colorful lens, full of descriptors and evocative mini-stories and checking in with my senses.

I hope that, if you feel an inkling to write at all, you will join me on this journey with an unknown end, but a very clear beginning. Visit objectwriting.com for word of the day inspirations and check back here whenever you can!

All the best,
Vanessa