Writing in the Dark
What happens when we write not to show off what we know, but to find out what we don’t know?
To explore this question, I hosted a WriteSPACE Special Event in March 2025 with Jeannine Ouellette, author and creator of the extraordinary Substack newsletter Writing in the Dark.
For Jeannine, writing in the dark means “embracing the fundamental truth of uncertainty through a consistent practice of attention, curiosity, playfulness, surprise, and vulnerability” — a lesson with profound resonances not only for novelists, memoirists, and poets but for scholarly and professional writers as well.
Here is WriteSPACE Event Manager Amy Lewis’ personal account of the live event.
……………
This two-hour live session was an exploration of discovery, attention, and vulnerability in writing— an invitation to embrace uncertainty as a creative practice. Jeannine spoke passionately about her writing philosophy; the concept of Writing in the Dark was born out of the pandemic as a workshop focused on creating during difficult moments. But the metaphor extends further — it’s not just about writing oneself out of dark times but rather about writing through uncertainty. Jeannine explained the parallels with John Keats’ notion of negative capability, which he described as the ability to remain in "uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” The word negative here is not pejorative; rather, it describes an author’s ability to resist explaining away the unknown. Keats encouraged writers to dwell in a condition of doubt, paying close attention to what emerges. Jeannine echoed this sentiment:
“If I end up writing the story that I set out to write, then I have failed, because writing should be a process of discovery.”
She urged us, as writers, to embrace the unexpected, noting that a truly creative piece often shifts — perhaps just “five degrees to the left” of where the writer initially thought it would go.
Now you’re wondering where to find this openness in your own writing. Jeannine offered a simple start: keep a process document. Rather than giving your draft file a rigid name such as "Introduction" or "Chapter One," label it loosely as "Notes" or “Ideas.” As humans we tend to cling to labels, even when they no longer serve our work. By removing unnecessary constraints, we allow our writing to unfold organically. This approach is not often encouraged in academia, where writers are told to focus on structured outlines and rigid frameworks. Yet Jeannine suggested that true creative discovery in any field often requires un-knowing what we think we know — not just in writing, but in life itself.
I was also struck by Jeannine’s thoughts on writing as a tool for personal healing. She mentioned James Pennebaker’s research on writing to heal, which cautions that journaling can sometimes reinforce a single version of a story rather than helping us see it anew. Evolution has wired our brains to fixate on the negative, which can lead us to rehashing painful feelings. That said, it’s also unwise to force a more palatable version of events. Jeannine encouraged writers to move toward uncertainty, allowing the process to reveal a truth deeper than the one they initially believed.
—
In the second hour, Jeannine guided paid subscribers to Writing in the Dark and Helen’s Word through several creative prompts, encouraging us to break free from linear storytelling and embrace fragments, sensory details, textures, and unexpected juxtapositions. As one attendee insightfully put it, “Even the select things we notice are a reflection of our unique essence.”
Some of the most compelling responses emerged from the following prompts:
Notice all the concrete things around you: Writers listed sensory observations from their surroundings—textures, sounds, and images—without indulging in full sentences, storytelling, or metaphor.
Transformation through language: Writers selected three of their most compelling sensory observations and crafted evocative mini-metamorphoses: “I used to be . . . . Now I am . . . . I am becoming . . . .”
Memory as a collection of moments: Inspired by Joe Brainard’s I Remember, writers recorded a series of concrete memories, which allowed them to communicate complex emotions in surprising ways.
I wish I could share them all, but I wanted to highlight some beautiful poetry that evolved from the workshop:
I used to be the shadow of a hand on the page. Now I am unruly piles of notebooks. I am becoming a red drinking glass blown into whorling swirls, bubbles of air, embedded flowers—Helen
I used to be tough tomato skins, I am garlic sauteing, I am becoming sweet tomato insides—Carol.
I used to be shudder of traffic from the highway to Costa Brava outside terrace door. Now I am chamomile tea flowers warming throat. I am becoming small, cold stone from the riverbed in Spain—Amy
I remember numb feet and soft sand, I remember the smell of fire before it was lit, I remember coyote calls, I remember warm skin and soft lips—Cassidy
I remember the cigarette smoke in the back of the car, I remember the flavor of the gum going stale, I remember exit 198 means we are close—Barri
I remember saying "drive on" instead of stopping at the funeral, I remember guarding Murray in his pain, I remember the sea eagle struggling to rise, I remember the fruit smashing on rocks, I remember the inability to bear even the softest of sounds—Melanie
I remember throwing rotting apricots at cars zooming by. I remember chewing fresh honeycomb and getting stung in the mouth. I remember hunting for four-leaf clovers—Trisha
—
Events like these remind us that writing is not just about putting words on a page — it’s about engaging with the world in new ways and allowing language to lead us somewhere unexpected.
A huge thank you to Jeannine and Helen for this illuminating session, and to all the writers who shared their words and encouragement so generously. For more of Jeannine’s insights, subscribe to Writing in the Dark, and stay tuned for future WriteSPACE events.
See you at the next one!
WriteSPACE and WS Studio members can find the full recording of the two-hour Special Event in their Video library.
Not a member? Register to receive an email with a link to the video of the first hour.
Better yet! Join the WriteSPACE with a free 30 day trial, and access our full Library of videos and other writing resources as part of your membership plan.