I have been hearing about Gateless Writing salons for months now in my favorite networking group, She Built This. As someone that loves to imagine, create, and write down all the things, I was intrigued by the concept of Gateless Writing and had been wanting to join in. But you know…work, kids, family, work, work, work…and so it goes…and so I simply had not created the time for myself to attend a salon. Until just this past week, when I made the decision and commitment to myself to sign up and make it happen. And oh wow…did it happen!

My teacher for the salon was none other than Becky Karush. Becky is a writer, copywriter, and so much more, including a teacher of Gateless Writing since 2016. May I add that she has one of the most soothing voices I have ever heard? Yes please!

In typical fashion, I pretty much chose to just dive right into the salon without reading much about what to expect. All I knew was that I was going to end up writing for some portion of the session, maybe the whole thing, and THAT was exciting to me. Little did I know that the experience would be SO. MUCH. MORE.

According to Becky’s website, “…Gateless Writing is a neuroscience-based method that helps quiet the inner critic. With joy, good company and abundant craft tools, you find that you can create beautiful work with ease, whether you’re writing a novel, a proposal, a social media post, or tonight’s journal entry. (Gateless is also the inspiration for Becky’s READ TO ME podcast.)” Becky goes on to explain that “…In salon, we begin with a meditation and prompt to guide you into a quiet writing time. Then, each writer reads aloud their work and receives positive, specific feedback from the group about the work. Gateless helps writers of all backgrounds who write for all sorts of reasons—for work, for fun, for creative pursuits, for emotional release. It helps you break through creative blocks and expand in creative brilliance. It’s the easiest 90 minutes of fun anywhere…”

Upon joining the virtual salon via a ZOOM meeting, I immediately felt a sense of calm and warmth. As I looked around the “room”, I recognized a few fellow She Built This members and thought “OK, I’m not in this alone!” The energy of the space we shared, albeit virtually, was so full of love and acceptance right from the start. I felt very comfortable despite not knowing most of the group members and knowing almost nothing about what I was about to experience.

So far, so good.

As promised in Becky’s overview of Gateless Writing salons above, she kicked us off with an amazing meditation and then, without me even realizing what was happening, with my hand on my heart and my eyes closed as I took it all in, I heard the prompt… “Write about a time you heard a song you love…”

That was it. Just like that, there it was. Our writing prompt. It was like I was just gliding along in this peaceful space mid meditation and then she slipped that prompt right in so perfectly, so beautifully, and I opened my eyes, put my pen to paper, and simply started writing. It felt like magic.

We had twelve minutes to write. I heard those instructions, but I barely paid attention as I was already feverishly working to get the words out of my head and onto my paper. And then, like no time had passed at all, I heard our two minute warning and I felt my brain go into warp speed, not wanting to miss a thought…not wanting to not get it all down on my paper.

And before I knew it, just like that, our time was up…and it was time to share with the group.

Becky asked for a volunteer to go first and I immediately shot my hand up thinking…go first and get it over with. Rip off the bandaid. And so, I did.

And this is what I read…

“The sun was shining brightly as we drove along laughing and joking with one another. It was the kind of sunshine that, when it hits your face, you can feel it flow right into your soul, your whole body immediately warmed. My two little loves were in the back seat of our car, I was in the front driving, sunglasses on, smile on my face. I remember feeling so lucky for this time with them. So fortunate to have two happy, healthy, and beautiful children, and how much fun we have on our drives. And then…I heard it from the back seat, ever so softly. My five year old daughters tiny voice…”Blackbird fly…Blackbird fly…Into the light of the dark black night…”

I heard her singing the words to one of my favorite songs that had started to play on the radio. A song that I have sung pieces of to my kids at bedtime since they were born. And as I drove and listened to her sing parts of this song along the way, my smile grew and my eyes welled with tears as I became overwhelmed with emotion thinking about my little, precious daughter spreading her wings to fly in this life. Spreading her wings to grow. Gaining her independence. Making her own best decisions. I thought about all the things a mother could think about for their daughter. All compressed into a few moments in that car.

Music is so powerful. One lyric or one note can take me back in time to a memory clear as day or flash me forward like it did that day…to feel all the feels…to feel all the love…”

As I read my piece aloud to the group, I felt my nerves fade as I began to own the words I had written. I felt proud. I felt surprised at what had come out of me in just twelve minutes that felt like only five. And when I finished reading and looked back up at the group, I felt a sense of relief and release. I had done it. I had just written my first…well, my first anything…in a Gateless Writing salon. There was something so empowering about owning it, reading it aloud without judgement, and realizing that it had all just come from me…from inside of me.

There is something about putting a pen to paper and seeing the thoughts and ideas in my head come to life on the page that I will never get enough of. To me, writing is an outlet. It is therapy. It is a release. It is emotional and raw. It like a soul cleanse. It is happy, sad, and everything in between. It feels easy. It is fun. And when I finish writing a piece, I know I have left it all on the page. I know I have given all I have to give. And THAT is one of my most favorite feelings.

After I finished sharing, the group shared with me. They shared their feedback, their own gut reactions to my piece, to that moment frozen in time that I had pulled out from inside my soul and put down onto paper in just twelve minutes. That moment in the car when I heard my baby girl softly singing and felt all the feels.

There are some rules to Gateless Writing salons and one of them is that the feedback provided is positive and specific. This helped to create a safe space for me and I believe for others as well. A space without judgement. A space full of trust. A space to openly share whatever it is that you wrote, whatever it is that came out of you in the allotted time, and feel comfortable doing so. A space to remain open and to receive beautiful, unexpected feedback from your audience. A space to create and simply be. A beautiful space.

The feedback I received was such a gift. It was like a bright ray of sunshine beaming down on me that day. I had no idea what others would say. I had no idea how others would respond. Hearing what piqued their emotions, what they connected with in my story, what they visualized as I read, how they received the overall tone of my tiny but huge moment frozen in time…it was simply amazing.

After I finished, I had the opportunity to sit back and receive. To listen to the others share their stories.

My God. Talk about a gift…

Listening. Simply listening…. And in the process of doing so, being taken on a journey, being let in to someone else’s space and time, into someone else’s creative mind, into someone else’s world. As I sat and listened that day, I found myself feeling like I was right there in the moments being shared. I was no longer sitting in my kitchen. I was in India. I was in the car listening to the music. I was in the kitchen swaying and dancing. I was in the sober house with the girls. I was clapping along to the beat. I was at the funeral. I was holding the mic. I was traveling the world!

I experienced the magic of story telling in that Gateless Writing salon. The magic that happens when we have the courage to simply write. The magic that happens when we have the courage to expose ourselves to the fullest extent, raw and real, on the page for all to see. The magic that happens when we have the courage to share our story and invite others in on our journey, in on our moments, in on our memories. The best kind of magic there is.

If you are looking to create, explore, be adventurous, have fun, take a risk, open up, and try something new, all in a safe space without judgement, Gateless Writing is for YOU.

Oh and hey….guess what? You don’t have to be “a writer” to join. And…if you join, hear the writing prompt, and your worst fear comes true, you draw a complete and total blank, no worries! It happens! Becky will remind you that you can simply start by writing “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah….” and see where it takes you. You might just be surprised when time is up and you look back at your page, at the words that have come flowing out of you, and you realize that you did it. You had the courage to show up, be open, and experience the experience. You had the courage to put your pen to paper and share your story. You had the courage to give yourself the gift of Gateless Writing and unlock your own damn magic…one thought, one sentence, one word at a time.