Lit Chat

Inspiration for being human.

Saying Something, Taking a Big Step, Embracing Change, and Enjoying Silence

Thursday May 14, 2026

Happy Thursday humans! Here is this week's literary inspiration for being human...

Let's find something to say...

I am currently reading Son of Nobody by Yann Martel, and I admire the bold blending of genres in this footnoted fiction tale of a contemporary academic who recounts his personal story in parallel with an epic poem he discovers. As a fan of hybrid writing, I appreciate when writers express ideas in unconventional ways, yet I also understand the challenge of making sure readers are able to enjoy the story. I sometimes struggle with what to say and how to say it, and the following line from Son of Nobody reminds me to just say something:

"The words of my PhD supervisor in Canada, Professor Gordon MacPherson, came to mind: 'Just find something to say.' ... I wondered: might this be the beginning of something to say?" (42)

Throughout the process of writing and revising Woman Outside the City, I often struggled to find the perfect words. Indeed, this is a common struggle with writing and speaking. The Professor's words, just find something to say remind me that I don't have to wait for the perfect words to show up; if I just start writing (or speaking), the right words will eventually emerge from the flow.

Is there something you've been trying to write or say? What's stopping you? When will you start writing or speaking and invite the flow?

Let's discuss taking the next big step ...

“I have learned how to leave it all behind, cross the great divide.
Deploy to another zone. Start out on a path that leads 

downward, curving toward a flat platform of rock about 100
meters below. I just need to make it 

to this next spot—point of no return. I’ll only cross this chasm
once, a one way trek. When I make it 

to the Glittering City, then what?"

—"Lunacy" in Woman Outside the City)

What adventure or project have you been wanting to start? How can you take your first step?

Let's embrace change...

Inspired by Mel Schnall's painting "Off Shore," Jonathan Pyner's ekphrastic poem "Physics of Home" blends vivid descriptions of a rocky shore with musings on the constant change occurring even in situations that seem settled. Observing a landscape that appears fixed, the speaker animates the constant erosion that occurs in a cove where tides "rummaged the empty pockets / for loose change" and coastal cypress  "dare each other to lean farther / over the jagged edge." I love the personification of nature in the poem, and I also love the balance between observations of the natural world and profound inner thoughts about life. Pyner's poem reminds me that change is always occurring—even when something appears settled—and it inspires me to observe nature and write a poem that blends observation with reflection. 

What seems fixed in your life? When you observe more closely, what small changes do you detect? Are you embracing change? 

Let's listen to silence...

I love silence, and I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that I attended a Quaker school when I was a young child, and we were taught to meditate in silence for an hour each week. Imagine dozens of kindergarteners and elementary school children squirming on pews for an hour, trying not to speak or bother one another! When I look back on it, I realize this took an incredible amount of patient and caring discipline on the part of school teachers, and I am grateful for it. As an adult, I find great comfort and peace in long periods of silence, and silence often helps me calm my mind and body. So even though saying something helps us find the right words, sometimes silence can also be a good thing.