Narrativity: The Exposition

Why now? I’ll speak to my own experiences first.

I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t really written in years. I’ve dabbled in a few side projects here and there (and there, too), but they seemed more like diversions than the serious writing I thought would flow forth following my Master’s writing program. But what I hadn’t anticipated was to what extent depression robs someone of their creative energy. I found it impossible, during those prolonged times when I felt hollow and incapable and worthless, to create something from nothing. It would be hard enough to express my emotions, especially when I felt like I was devoid of any, but to then jot them down in a kind of narrative, in a way where anyone else should want to read them, was a colossal undertaking.

It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could hack it. It’s that I literally didn’t have it in me. So any time someone would refer to me as a writer because that’s what I went to school for, I’d correct them—“I’m retired, actually”—and muster a phony laugh before moving on to another subject.

I’ve always felt guilty about not writing. But the obstacle was that I didn’t yet have that baseline of emotional stability to be able to do it, which relegated writing to the “for much, much later” pile. (I prioritize my issues. It’s not weird.)

Not long ago, though, I reflected on the status of my own mind and thought, hmm, maybe I’m ready to start up again?, turning a statement into a question in the way one does when they’re hopeful but uncertain of the answer.

That brings us to the present. But I am not the protagonist of this story. This is an ensemble.

I am a part of a small community of cinephiles, audiophiles, gamers, sportsheads, and foodies spread out across the globe. Some of us have known each other for more than a decade. All of us are post-grads—a few twice over. Some of us have established careers, while others are just starting out. A couple of us are parents. More, if you count pets. And all of us have felt, in some way or another, that we have let the creativity of our younger days take a back seat to the responsibilities and pressures of adulthood. Whether we have found ourselves not using our arts degrees, have neglected for too long that need inside us to express ourselves, or because we want to feel like we’ve really accomplished something, we all latched on to a simple premise: let’s make something fun, together.

So when National Novel Writing Month came around in November 2017, we thought that this was our opportunity to focus some of our energies into something creative. There was a moderate level of interest, but it was enough to keep us motivated enough to try. The thing is—plot twist!—writing novels is hard, especially when you don’t have any ideas, even a kernel of one, and you’re supposed to have 1,700 words written by the next day. So we decided to take on a different project—something a little less deadline-driven, a little more flexible, and hopefully a little more sustainable long term.

That was the beginning of Narrativity: a group of people who came together because of a shared interest in popular culture, and who stayed together for many years because we inadvertently became friends, one day decided to share our idle chitchat with the world.

To be perfectly honest, we don’t know where the story goes from here. But we hope that you enjoy it as it unfolds.

#Narrativity #AboutUs #JoshuaCovell