Cross-pollination

Cultivating creativity through collaborative writing exchanges

Photo by Anna Hecker on Unsplash

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I've had dreams of being a writer since I was a kid. I loved the idea of authoring a novel, or publishing a book of my poetry - maybe both, if I was lucky. I didn't have serious plans, though, until I became an English major at Marywood University.

What really sparked it for me was the rhetoric class I took freshman year with Dr. Bittel, who frequently had us collaborating to give each other feedback. I ended up taking multiple courses with her (and several fellow English majors I met in that first class) and I always got the most out of the ones where we spent a lot of time writing, and reading each other's work.

When I got burnt out and left college, I told myself I would keep writing back at home, but I suddenly felt like I had nothing left to say. After a brief burst of creative energy, I was spent.

For years, it seemed like my dream of writing had died. Sure, I still felt the urge to write now and then (Facebook friends can attest to my lengthy posts about social justice, neurodivergence, etc.) but I felt like my inspiration had more or less dried up, and I didn't understand why.

Last year, when

Kaitlin Curtice

led her Poem-A-Day in May, I thought it was the prompts that had me so inspired - which, to be fair, absolutely helped - but after writing almost nothing all year despite my promises to myself during that month, it seemed there was still something missing.

This year, I jumped in a few days late but was so excited to find that my inspiration immediately returned. By about 2/3 through the month, I felt so nourished and energized, and I was deeply grateful when Jillian of

Joy Journeys

decided to host her own poem-a-day writer's retreat for June, because I wasn't ready to let that feeling go.

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Now that I've started publishing here, largely as a result of this community, I've realized something: the vast majority of my inspiration has always come from the sharing of my writing.

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From the short story that won me an award in twelfth grade, to the work I shared in my rhetoric class, to the personal essays and poems I'm publishing here now, all of them have been a direct result of engagement and thoughtful, generous feedback - most often, from fellow writers.

Through collaborative writing opportunities, I've gotten the chance to experience this symbiotic exchange of energy and ideas which has lead to an immense amount of growth in my own writing, as well as theirs.

Without meaning to, I ended up finding my footing and my voice as a writer through the meaningful connections others made with my words. Like a flower that needed pollinating, my writing needed this kind of creative exchange in order to flourish.

I now have a blueprint for continuing my work - which feels incredible - but more than that, I've realized that there has been a part of me all along just waiting to be embraced by a community like this.

I'm so grateful for every attentive and generous comment from every teacher, mentor, peer, and friend, that have bolstered my confidence and led me here, and for the folks who have been vulnerable and generous in sharing their own writing, which has offered me fresh perspectives and inspiration.

I've always had plenty to say when I feel like someone is listening; it turns out, I have plenty to write when I feel like there's someone reading, too.

Have you found inspiration or direction in work or a hobby by sharing with others? Is there something else nourishing your creative process? Let us know in the comments.

As always, you're free to share if this post resonated with you.