My usual blog entry is often a reflection on life through the lens of metaphor and poetry and essay. That world of words is always with me, swirling, spinning, shaping my thoughts and my lens on everyday life. This is different, and yet not. As I trudge through the laborious process of trying to find a path to publishing my memoir, I have come across some amazing writers. We writers often sit alone at our desks, wondering and writing. Alone is the key word. When I search for other writers or thinkers that inspire me, I am lifted out of a more and more common sense of doom or fear, into a world of hope. People are writing and reading! With each act of private rebellion, we open ourselves to other ways of thinking. Other ways of being. And to stories that are all at once, different than ours, but so familiar. As an interconnected community of humanity, our similarities are more than our differences. I pray and hope that one day we will all see and experience this astounding and super natural fact.
In my search the other day I read Morgan Strehlow’s Substack essay from December 13, 2024. “’Tis the Damn Season, Write This Down. 13 Writing Lessons for Taylor Swift on Her 35th Birthday.” Admittedly, you might not read this if you aren’t a writer or a Taylor Swift fan. But you should. Or at least you might. Morgan Strehlow, herself an athlete and a writer, refers to Taylor Swift as one of the greatest athletes of all time, and describes Swift’s writing not only brilliant but she describes how she is an example, a metaphor for how we might all be, not only better writers, but better people. Strehlow details Swift’s 13 Writing Lessons by connecting the dots between Swift’s writing and her life’s discipline, and our writing and our lives. Lessons like, “Don’t be afraid to experiment outside of what’s expected of you,” and “Always aim for excellence but not at the expense of completion,” inspire me at a time when morals and ethics seem up for grabs in our public discourse. “Make every word matter,” “Be generous to your people,” and “Self-awareness is essential,” seem to apply not only to a celebrity or a writer, but as the article points out, this is the way Taylor Swift lives her life. She expresses her gratitude for the people she works with. She listens. Once again, maybe we should not only take a listen, but take her example to heart.
You can find Morgan Strehlow’s essay at https://substack.com/@morganstrehlow It is her submission from December 13, 2024.
Janet E Hartwick Sterk
2.14.25
Leave a Reply