What is the Shelbish Glossary?
Shelby sometimes speaks her own language. It helps her explain writing concepts as she understands them, where the terms for navigating writing often also become her terms for navigating life.
Some are phrases she made up, and some are very specific takes on familiar words.
This glossary is where she gathers her definitions for easy reference. She continues to add to it as she finds more terms to define, and sometimes, she dives deeper into a concept for further exploration.
Creative Lineage Credit: I learned how often I do this and how important this is to my process through working with my business teacher and creative elder, Clarinda Braun.
Courage
(noun) the state of finding a reason to do something that has more to do with love than with fear.
Creativity
(noun) the practice of making meaning, preferably in a way that supports life.
Foundational Lens
(noun) a pattern of understanding that flavors every single thing you see. It’s so ingrained in you that early in life, you don’t totally recognize that other people might see it differently.
Hidden Roots
(noun) the behind the scenes unfolding behind every finished piece of art or other milestone event.
Also called: “Creative Roots.”
Integrate
(verb) to re-weave your own frayed threads by investing time, energy, and emotional capacity into understanding how your experiences fit into your life story.
Literary Elder
(noun) a person whose creations have impacted your own.
Also called: “Creative Elder.”
Literary Lineage
(noun) the other writers from which a writer is descended through creative inheritance.
Also called: “Creative Lineage.”
Shelbish
(noun) the language that Shelby uses when explaining writing concepts as she understands them, including terms unique to her. Also the made-up words that Shelby used when she was a kid, which her friends lovingly teased her about.
Tender Stories
(noun) narratives that walk you through your own pain in order to invite you into greater emotional wholeness.
Touchstone
(noun) an element in a story or situation, charged with potential and waiting to be explored, much like a door waiting to be explored or a path waiting to be followed.
Value System
(noun) the principles and beliefs that influence an individual’s decisions, impacting the way an individual invests their attention, time, action, or energy in certain areas instead of others.