Vol. 2 No. 1 - Seven of Mentors - Growing without killing your unique voice.

So following a three week spring break from my weekly selection of Poet Tarot Cards - I'm back with the start of a second year of examination and thoughts resulting from the random drawing of  a card from the Poet Tarot deck each week.

The first card is a suit card from the Mentors. It's a Seven of Mentors and I think the keys remind me that there are many doors one can go through in the path to improving their writing. Perhaps the spider is telling me to beware of some of the door or that some of the doors may lead to challenging paths.  I feel like the skeletal figure in a dress is perhaps my guide.

Have you ever written in a vacuum? I mean not just written in solitude, I think most of us do that often.  But written work and shown it to no one?  Not even rewrites?  I think that would be writing in a vacuum. You just write and it's there and nothing happens. And maybe that's what you want.

But for your writing voice to enter the world, in print or at readings, you want your writing skills and your creativity to come together at an apex.

I'm in the process of exploring a new writing group (small in size) to workshop work.  So maybe this card is providing me some valuable thoughts about how this might work and benefit or not one's work.  Three things coming to me and they are:

1. Knowing when to accept and reject feedback
2. Avoid over-compensating your own voice for that of another successful writer
3. Be genuine 

In coaching, work-shopping, or sharing material for peer feedback in any way, staying open to the thoughts and experiences of others can surely benefit my work. Balance I think is critical. Knowing when make changes and when not to. Knowing what you can do to improve without sacrificing the uniqueness of your own writing. 

The Seven of Mentors seems to be reminding me that there are things we can do to better our self and our own work. They should be used to enhance our art - not dilute our unique voice.