On Writing In the Moment, for the Moment: Episode 4—The Meditative Essay

When it comes to written meditations, I love this one, "Somewhere a Siren," by Robert Vivian—available for your reading pleasure at the one and only Guernica. "Somewhere a siren already announces its formal edict," Vivian writes, "and I hear it as the underpinnings of a mysterious truth rising and falling on waves riding the late night air, for here is a way to be carried from this world to the next."

This week, I'd like to talk a bit about the concept of the "meditative essay." I learned about this essay form in grad school at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where I met Vivian himself. A quiet, soft-spoken, pensive man, Vivian personifies his chosen form. For decades, he's written meditations on the natural world, his family, his work, and our society at large. His excellent "Thoughts on the Meditative Essay" is here at Doug Glover's writing website, Numéro Cinq.

In his craft essay, Vivian writes, "The meditative essay hinges on stillness, on a moment delicately teased out of the cogs of time to live in the timeless present: it is not interested much in opinions or even ideas, preferring instead to live in the realm of pondering and contemplation." To Vivian, the meditation isn't about motion, or a linear progression through time, or a "first this, then this" approach to telling a story. In fact, perhaps his "meditations" aren't stories at all - after all, they "hinge on stillness," evading the arc that traditional stories, especially in the West, typically follow. 

And Sue William Silverman, author of the wonderful CNF genre overview essay "Meandering River," explains the meditative essay like this: "A meditative essay, as the name suggests, explores or meditates upon an emotion or idea by drawing upon a range of experience. It’s a contemplation." 

Vivian admits that "the meditative essay is also a very elusive creature, as elusive as anything, perhaps, in any genre." It can be tough to pin down, to identify. "More than anything," Vivian writes, "the meditative essay is like a shy wild animal that will bolt at the slightest sign of undue ego or aggression, though it may occasionally use tiny bits of these to furnish its lair." 

Yet in the end, explains Vivian, "[the meditation] is a consummately intimate form of exchange, as tender as a confiding lover propped up on his or her elbow in bed after lovemaking. Fear is not in its nature, nor is blame or accusation; indeed, intimacy may be its single-most distinguishing characteristic, the way it takes us into the heart, mind and soul of its author."

Reader, what are your thoughts on the concept of meditation—in general, or as a writer? Some of you meditate as a practice—how does your practice inform this topic? Or, how would you describe your experience reading "Somewhere a Siren"? Did you enjoy? Dislike? Were you disoriented, annoyed, or made jubilant? Did the essay lead you towards meditative feelings or emotions of your own? How closely did the essay's intention align with YOUR understanding of meditation?

Helpful hint: In general, Guernica is a great place to read terrific writing by new writers and seasoned pros alike. Many great writers got their starts at Guernica - so add this to your list of places to submit work, whenever you decide that the time has come.