post-camino...... Writing about the experience of the Camino

[Sue Kenney]

Sally and others,

Here is my 2 cents.

Pilgrim writing is exactly what I did on the Camino. Here is the routine I
followed.

When I boarded the plane to Paris I wrote down my intentions for the Camino. To
find my purpose, to find self love, to be a better parent, to be aware, to not
judge others, to meditate, to face my fears etc.  I read each intention and
practiced it at some point everyday as I walked. (this may seem to formal to
some of you, but I needed the discipline.) When I say I practiced it's because I
didn't know how to address some of my issues, but the Camino gave me a safe
place from which to face my fears and "practice" for the real world. Like rowing
training on the water before race day. I could make mistakes on the Camino and
learn from them before going home to live my Camino.

Then, every day I wrote in my diary. I wrote my pilgrim feelings from my heart
without judgment of myself or others. When I picked up a pen to write, I was
present and in the moment allowing me to express my emotions freely. I wrote the
date, the destination, the weather and the number of kilometers I walked that
day at the top of the page. I often wrote something about the physical reactions
as well as the emotional reactions of the day. (this comes from my training as a
competitive rower...we always kept a training diary that included what type of
workout and what was accomplished, always noting something about how we felt) I
didn't write much about the history of the regions. In total I wrote 192 pages
in a red Super Conquerant graph paper note book 11 X 17 cms.

Ironically, on the way home on the plane from Paris to Toronto, I read my entire
diary for the first time. As I read each page, I listed the lessons and gifts of
the Camino on the back pages of my diary. I discovered there were 55 lessons and
gifts, over 29 days of walking. Not bad.

I found my purpose in life, found the meaning of self love, faced my fears and
had many other profound experiences and revelations. I believe this is because I
went on a journey with an idea about where I wanted to end up and that wasn't
Santiago. I walked each day looking ahead in anticipation of reaching Cebreiro.
I had read about a miracle on the mountain and believed that something special
was waiting for me on Cebreiro. I was so right. Santiago was the walking
destination but Cebreiro was the spiritual destination.

Returning home I read and re-read by diary. I took a creative writing course at
a local university that taught me how to write my most intimate thoughts. I
wrote poetry, which I had never done before. I wrote short stories about the
Camino and fairy tales too. Thanks to the support of the people in this group
and Santiagobis responding to my stories in email format, I continued my
"pilgrim writing". And now I am writing a pilgrim book about my spiritual
journey called My Camino. I found a publisher who believes in my pilgrim story
and I am on my way to Cebreiro again.

Thanks for asking these questions as I believe it is so important to capture the
words of the journey. Someone told me that a storyteller records history. That
means if we can write or tell stories, then we are recording the history of the
Camino. Now that is very special.

Buen Camino,

Sue
sue.kenneyasympatico.ca
http://www.suekenney.ca/mycamino.htm


Sally Haden wrote:


> consider that sort of 'travel writing', if it can be labelled such.  More
> like 'pilgrim writing' , but I doubt many publishers have heard of this term
> as a recognized genre!
>
> Would anyone like to add suggestions, comments, information, book
> recommendations.... about writing on the subject of one's own pilgrim
> experience in particular, or about the Camino as a place for travel writing?
>   I can't imagine that  travel writers ever rise to the rarified heights of
> 'richness', but perhaps it might bulk out a modest pocket from time to time,
> and keep one's fingers busy.
>
> Sally
> Lancashire, UK
>
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