At times it seems epidemic: people - including our friends, our family and perhaps at times ourselves, have that feeling of not quite fitting into the world as we wish we did. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, reformer, mom and change-maker, invites us with her writing to step into our full place instead of constantly striving to "fit into" anyone else's preconceived notions.
Let's read her words, a bit about her and then sample numerous prompts to explore your thoughts and writing:
Quote to inspire your transformational writing:
“This is the woman's century, the first chance for the mother of the world to rise to her full place . . . and the world waits while she powders her nose.”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Today I was in Pasadena, California, to visit an exhibit of paintings on loan to the Norton Simon Museum. My children and I drove through an intersection near the museum and I said, “Right here, Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper in two days in June and her novel changed history.”
“How did it change history?” my thirteen-year-old son asked me.
“Well, because of this novella, doctors treated women differently when they had post partum depression. This has positively impacted countless women and families up until now.”
She is one of my beloved Literary Grannies because she was a multi-faceted artist whose heart was always tuned into the power of being a reformer. She wrote plays, she created trade cards, she went on the speaking circuit, she lived life on her terms.
The quote I offer from her today shows her frustration with those who don’t take action upon what we know we are meant to do, like writing practice or speaking up for injustice or simply being present to our intuition and following it rather than our fear of whatever is ailing us on any particular day.
“The chance for the mother of the world to rise to her place…”
I am now both a Mommy and a Granny. I feel this responsibility AND this privilege even more now.
Let’s explore that in writing, no matter whether you are a man or a woman, try it out today.
Prompts for Contemplation and Writing:
Where might your personal “full place” be, both in your writing and otherwise What challenges you about Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s assertion? What inspires you?
Sentence starter prompts:
My full place in the world inspires me to….
I am a bit wobbly when I consider my place in the world because….
What action(s) might I take today with my writing so that I am no longer “sitting, powdering my nose?
You may contemplate and consider these prompts throughout your day.
At the end of the day,
Day in review prompts-
Today, I took an action to….
Tomorrow, I aim to….
I feel proudest of….
I wish I had…..
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This blog post is a part of April's Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Visit here daily in April to be inspired by literary grannies across time.
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Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming soon.
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