““Leap, and the net will appear.” It is my experience both as an artist and as a teacher that when we move out on faith into the act of creation, the universe is able to advance.” (Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way)
Writing Exercise: “Leap, and the Net Will Appear” – The Craft of Risk in Language
Key Techniques Illustrated by the Quotation
Syntactic Risk – The quote invites writers to write beyond safe, correct, or expected sentence patterns. Language must take leaps without knowing where it will land. Figurative Discovery – The quote models metaphor as insight rather than ornament; “the net will appear” isn’t decorative—it reframes fear. Momentum over Planning – The writing process should emerge midair, abandoning outlines, transitions, or tidy logic in favor of energy, voice, and improvisation.
Writing Prompt (500 words)
Write a short craft-focused piece—a hybrid of micro-essay and prose poem—in which you explore the theme of risk through language that takes risks.
You may write about a moment when you wrote something that startled you, or you may invent a meditation on falling, failing, building, flying, trying. Your only requirement: let form follow feeling. Interrupt yourself. Abandon grammar mid-sentence if the thought veers. Lean into metaphor when the literal feels too small. Contradict yourself. Let language carry you off course.
Avoid explanation. Don’t be clear. Be vivid, be precise, and be lost. Write as if you’re walking into fog and refuse to turn back.
Evaluation Criteria
Successful Response
– Prioritizes rhythm, voice, sound, and sensory weight over clean argument
– Includes surprising or surreal figurative language
– Creates energy through syntactic play: sentence fragments, repetition, inversion, white space
– Makes the reader feel movement, discovery, or friction
Unsuccessful Response
– Feels linear, academic, or thesis-driven
– Uses cliché or abstract generalities without grounding
– Follows a five-paragraph essay logic or standard transitions
– Prioritizes clarity over risk
Follow-Up Workshop Questions
– Where did the piece stop surprising you? Where did it begin to feel safe?
– What language choices feel familiar? What would happen if you rewrote those lines blindfolded?
– Which sentence feels like it’s about to fall apart? What makes it work—or not?
– If the piece were a movement or a gesture, what would it be? A spiral? A lunge? A still point?
Recommended Reading
Excerpt from Bluets by Maggie Nelson. See how Nelson allows associative movement, emotional digression, and fragmentation to shape her form. Risk becomes structure.
Example of a Strong Response (excerpted)
“I write the sentence before I know what the noun is. It comes. Or doesn’t. A hand on a doorknob that isn’t there. Still, I twist. Blue, the color of bruised ideas. I keep going. I am not safe. I am not done.”
Example of a Weak Response (excerpted)
“Writing is hard, but it’s important to take risks. When we challenge ourselves, we grow. That’s what writing is about: self-expression and bravery. We have to try, and eventually things will get easier.”
Total Time: 2 hours
– 20 minutes: Read Nelson excerpt, annotate places she loses control and regains it
– 75 minutes: Write your piece in one unedited burst
– 25 minutes: Read aloud, mark places where the rhythm breaks or plays it too safe
This prompt isn’t asking you to polish. It’s asking you to jump.
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