My eyes blurred as the tears banked like torrents taunting the bliss of a city. The lower lids fought the pressure to pour into the secret streets of my otherwise composed face while the depths of my heart drowned the heaviness of that inevitable drenching.
There she stood.
Breaking into the room. I could not breathe. I could not feel my presence on the Earth. That is what a breathless moment does, and there is nothing like it.
Small in stature, grand and larger than life, she walked toward me, nearly floating. Standing before me…
“Dearly beloved….” cuts through the noise of the transported journey from ‘elsewhere’ - I swallowed. And nothing could be better at this moment. Life was alive. This powerful person, soon to be my wife, this moment…
…this is a monument.
This stands with me as an anchor to what life means. It meant something then, and it means so much more today.
I have many monuments. None so grand as my wedding day or the birth of my children, despite some of the horrors. Other monuments like reunions with loved ones or the loss of them, stand, life-changing, and permanent, imprinting our lives, for good and bad.
Monuments are made through experiences that change us. Good and bad, big and small. I have some small monuments too. Gifts I have received, romantic notes, and epiphanies. Some wins in baseball, singing with a symphony, and playing before thousands on saxophone.
Monuments sprout up unexpectedly and surprise us like the well-planned “surprise” scare of a cooperative party. Other times we anticipate grand life-changing amazement only to be disappointed with the reality unfolds.
Enter Write of Passage
Write of Passage (WoP) is an online writing school that I discovered last year and attended Cohort 10 Spring of 2023.
WoP did not disappoint, it exceeded expectations.
Writing about life is what I do. I also, more than anything, talk with, invest in, and encourage people. I can’t help myself. I’m drawn, as if by magic toward other people and their stories.
Learning to write well is a skill I want to perfect. When WoP came back on my radar I jumped on the opportunity like a frog on a hot sidewalk. Last Spring I consumed as much as possible on developing a Personal Monopoly by David Perell, and while I didn’t know what to expect with WoP, I knew it would be quality instruction.
I’ll write later about the amazing delivery, organization, and focus of WoP leaders and how the writing tools have already changed my perspective on writing.
The WoPnots - A List of the WOW… WoP is a…
Machine
Like all machines, this one runs like the Bentley of cohorts. There is a lot of hard labor behind the scenes that produce the ride experience. The instruction alone can produce amazing results in the lives of writers. As a school, the teaching is well-tuned and hits every learning style perfectly. The finished product provides writers with tools, resources, and training that will help any person in the world wanting to grow as a writer. WoP can more than whip you into shape.
Monument
I know I’ve worn out this metaphor, but this experience stands for something. One of the greatest testimonies is seeing and talking to those who come back to subsequent cohorts as students and mentors. It’s a testament to the life-changing shadow giving shade from the blazing sun of failure, blocks, imposters, and a plethora of characters along the way.
I believe all the education systems of the world could say, “Let’s imitate this!” It’s that good.
Movement
I truly wish that my entire mind could flow onto this page and express the essence of what I want to say. To start a movement takes more than just a good idea, it takes the right people, the right information, the right time, the right talent, and the right soil to cultivate passion, intimacy, and focus.
Motivation toward creativity and self-discovery leads to life-changing ideas that transcend all parts of life. The focus of WoP will be responsible for invention and innovation from society to science. The mind-blowing and life-saving energy inspires, equips, and accomplishes a monopoly of life. WoP provides measurable intimacy and community that bleeds into the world at large.
I could see collaboration within WoP that would change ideas cross-culturally. The motion from these early days (10 cohorts) could produce the cure for cancer, permanent change for civil rights, and a revival of kindness, spirituality, and learning.
Wait, there’s more.
While WoP isn’t on the scale of my wedding day, it does remind me of a MARRIAGE.
Write of Passage is a type of union that brings people and their diverse ideas under the unity and intimacy of creativity that develops mutual success and collaboration which I have never seen in any space.
The vehicles: (A few)
Personal connection and feedback from professional editors and peers.
Deep dives offer hands-on learning about writing by experts who are passionate about their craft.
Live sessions that teach ideas clearly, encourage learning through exploration and provide real-time practice.
Most of all WoP is a safe, unified, and intimate space where diverse people can share ideas without fear and grow deeper in conversation around those ideas.
“You will only see what you are prepared to see”
“You will always find what you are looking for.”
For Write of Passage, both of these ideas stand. I was prepared to see amazing education around writing but I left with so much more.
If you’re looking for a new perspective on life and a chance to meet your people. Take this course and join the movement. Experience the magic.
Due to the death of Dr. Keller, my decided curation piece, I decided to curate my thoughts on this cohort. It’s published, not well done, but not a work of art - Thanks for that Bleeker. I will be expanding this in the coming weeks.
WoP IS like a marriage. It's family. Plenty of us say we've gotten enough from WoP and then come back for the next cohort, coz family's never done!
Thanks for all the juicy gems.
So, so many gems in this piece. I saved a couple into my notes, and I'm planning on sharing them in my newsletter ;) This is one of them:
"Breaking into the room. I could not breathe. I could not feel my presence on the Earth. That is what a breathless moment is, does, and there is nothing like it."
Gosh, that's beautiful. Would love to see writing like this in your book. Excited for that!
Love the writeup about WOP. Man, glad to have met you through WOP. Such a lovely community. Great piece James. Excited for the next ones!