The Art of Bearing What We Bare and What We Bear
Part II of Bears & What We Bear & How We Bare It
bear (verb)
to contain within
to have by right
to bring forth or give birth to
We can all agree, can’t we, that we each bear, by nature of our existence, certain rights?
bare (verb)
to uncover
to reveal
to display
Recent videos (say, of a mother in Worcester dragged into an ICE vehicle as her daughter wails) and personal accounts (say, of a friend’s neighbors, a couple who’d worked nearby fields for 20 years, shackled and taken away) lay bare the reality of the current US administration’s treatment of certain migrants. Â
bear (verb)
to bring in
to carry in order to give
to carry or withstand
Undocumented migrants living in the United States bear a greater tax contribution than the average US citizen—having contributed $96 billion, 4.5% of the $2.1 trillion collected, in 2022, while making up just 3.3% of the population (~11 million of ~330 million)—paying into benefits like social security they’re not eligible to receive.Â
The Art of Revision
I adore revision. (I know. This is an abrupt segue, but that’s where I’m at these days—undone and then back at it, on repeat.) I’ll say this, though, not much beats the exhilaration of, at last, layer by layer, getting to a piece of writing that lays bare what you mean to share.
My love affair with revision was ignited through my work with other writers—and continued over the last 20+ years as an editor and project collaborator. Ever since, that work that has borne fruit like my cousin’s plum tree (who must have overheard it was about to be replaced for lack of production and now gives new meaning to prolific). Over the years, I found I was giving different versions of the same prompts and guidance to authors, regardless of genre or experience level. Not long after I turned myself loose to pursue my own writing, I started applying those same prompts to my work, as if I were my own client. And what a difference! I fell even deeper for revision.
As writers, we’re compelled to bear witness, to bring forth the stories that live in our bellies and haunt our hearts and whisper from the corners of our imaginations. And right now, we need all of the ongoing conversation of published writing we can get—all of us bearing the gifts and truths and perspectives of our best work.
I’ve told you about Caravan Writers Collective. About how, as a group, we’re offering weekly writing workshops and monthly high-impact, low-stress deep dives into craft.Â
Today, I want to tell you about the classes I’m offering and invite you to attend if they call to you. All my classes have a two-pillar foundation: (1) the belief we can and should be our own best first editors and (2) my desire to share with other writers the self-editing tool belt I’ve developed over decades—aka the joy and art of self-revision. All will be generative, meaning participants should expect to leave with new and/or improved work. The four-week classes include a 1:1 consultation for those who want it.
(Bonus: The video intros will give you a first peek inside Vivian van Gogh and the new wallpaper, partially up, which you helped me pick. Thanks!)Â
My June classes
On Different Pens (four weeks, 2-hours each + 1:1 consult) focuses on seeing your own work like an editor—first a developmental editor shaping the work, then as a content editor refining the work, and then as a copy editor polishing it up. We’ll talk methods for seeing your work through those editors’ eyes and how to move through the stages quickly. Bring a work in progress or work on what’s generated during week one. (Tuesdays, 4–6pm PDT)
The weekend bootcamp Why Not This? treats revision as play, offering tools to the belt that’ll help you get out of those writing jams we sometimes find ourselves in. (Fri, June 20, 4–6pm and Sat & Sun, June 21 & 22, 12–2pm PDT)
My July & August classes
July
July’s The Joy of Developing / Macro Editing (four weeks, 2-hours each + 1:1 consultation) will dive deep into the early stages of revision—when you’re building the forest. (Thursdays, 4-6 pm PDT)
The weekend bootcamp (three 2-hour sessions) Three Gifts Doubled will focus on concision (yes, cutting) and how that benefits both you and your readers. (Fri, July 18, 4–6pm; Sat & Sun, June 19 & 20, 12–2pm PDT)
August
In August, The Joy of Refining / Micro-editing (four weeks, 2-hours each + 1:1 consultation) explores late-stage editing—when you’re shaping up the trees. (Tuesdays, 4-6 pm PDT)
August’s weekend bootcamp is a treat I’m thrilled to announce: I’m teaming up with award-winning writer and fellow solo nomad
for Writing from the Road. It’s on travel writing—and by that we mean excursions along both internal and external roads. (Fri, Aug 22, 4–6pm; Sat & Sun, Aug 23 & 24, 12–2pm PDT)I would LOVE to see you in any of these classes! DM me for a bundle discount or with any questions.
All Caravan Courses
My fellow instructors are offering fantastic classes too!
More June offerings
Dying to write vibrant, realistic characters, whatever the genre?
— Check out ’s Who Is This Guy? Crash Course in Character, Mondays, 4–6pm PDT.
Is poetry your jam?
— Explore poetry as a boundless expanse in a small space in ’s Finding Home: Poetry of Place, Saturdays​​​, 11 am-1 pm PDT.
Wanna focus on really paring down and writing flash pieces?
— Check out Threads & Breaks: Flash Fiction vs. Narrative Poetry with , Saturdays, 11 am–1:30 pm PDT.
Need to focus on mental wellbeing as an artist?
— Marya’s got you with her weekend bootcamp No, You Are Not a Mad Genius: Mental Wellbeing for Creative Folx, Fri 6/27, 4–6 pm PDT and Sat & Sun 6/28 & 6/29, 12 pm–2 pm PDT.
Plus more in July and August!
And Some B Roll!
PS. DM me for a bundle discount or with any questions.
Thank you! So grateful for your attention, your shares, your likes—for you! Please restack this post to help anyone interested in these offerings find them!
For the comments, what’s your favorite use of bear as a verb? Do you think of revision as joyful? Of editing as an art? What do you think of Vivian? Her new wallpaper? Have you ever had a tree that didn’t bear fruit, year after year, and then bloomed like a diva? What are the burdens you’re bearing these days? And how are you bearing them?
Your title and text reminded me of a Wm Blake verse that has been a talisman for me for years with a wordplay:
"And we are put on earth a little space,
That we may learn to bear the beams of love"
I wanna be like you when I grow up.