Fear of Isolation

Welcome back for the eleventh day of Writober. Thank you to everyone who has been linking up their poems, photos, and stories. You are making this year’s event so much fun. Today we’re exploring the universal fear of separation by looking at fear of isolation.

Isolation may be physical or social. Some use isolation as a coping mechanism for anxiety while others find isolation anxiety-inducing.

Searching online, I found fear of being alone all over the place, but not fear of isolation. To me, isolation is more than just being alone, it’s a complete lack of contact: like a desert island, or floating in space, or a cabin in the woods.

Here is the definition of isolate from dictionary.com:

verb (used with object)

i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing.

to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.
Medicine/Medical. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.
Chemistry, Bacteriology. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.
Electricity. to insulate.
Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.

Here’s the definition of Isolation from dictionary.com:

noun

an act or instance of isolating.
the state of being isolated.
the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease; quarantine.Synonyms: segregation
the separation of a nation from other nations by isolationism.
Psychoanalysis. a process whereby an idea or memory is divested of its emotional component.
Sociology. social isolation.

I love how sometimes just looking up a word can open up new ideas. I wasn’t thinking about isolation in terms of quarantine and segregation until I looked at the dictionary.

The phrase: Antimetabole

Antimetabole is a rhetorical device in which words are repeated in reverse order within or across sentences. Famous examples:

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” JFK

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Here’s an article from Masterclass about antimetabole.

Can you think of ways to use antimetabole in your writing to motivate and persuade?

Fighting Fear of the Blank Page: Sometimes fighting fear of the blank page means not looking at the page at all.

Word Jars and generators: One thing that makes writing exciting and surprising is making connections that haven’t been made before. These new connections could show up in descriptions, sensory details, or comparisons. One way to inspire these connections is by collecting words on slips of paper, putting them in containers and then randomly choosing from different containers. I have vases on my mantel filled with abstract nouns, different categories of concrete nouns (we’ll be exploring abstract and concrete nouns later in the month), horror nouns, horror verbs, verbs of destruction, verbs or creation, etc. You get the idea.

There are also many different kinds of word generators online. You may want to try:

Random Word Generator – I clicked this twice and got “pocket” and “demand” and I’m wondering what pockets would demand if they could.

Random Idea Generator – I clicked until I got “last moment” and “enchanted kite” in a row. That could be fun.

There are so many generators online. Search around until you find one that helps you get words on the page.

*Quick Note about links in this post: I am an amazon associate, so most of the links in my post will take you to amazon products. If you buy from these links, I will make some pennies which will help me pay for this site and my creative endeavors.

OctPoWriMo

Poetry Toolbox

These are quick exercises that I hope you’ll do every day. We will build on these exercises throughout the month.

Word list: Write down the first ten words you think of when you think of fear. Any words at all. Anything that comes to mind. Are you starting to be surprised by the words you relate to fear? Then choose your three favorite and say them aloud a few times until you hear the accented and unaccented syllables (if more than one syllable) and notice the duration of each syllable. (Inspired by Frances Mayes’ list of a hundred favorite words in The Discovery of Poetry)

I created this Excel Spreadsheet for you to use to collect and explore your fear words.

OctPoWriMo wordlist Download

2. Sensory Imagery: In your journal or a word processing file, fill in these lines as quickly as you can. Notice they are slightly different from last week. You may want to revisit one or two in more detail if you’re inspired and have time.

I see

I hear

I carry

I smell

I follow

The empty room

The tug of

I taste

The cold down my spine

I witnessed

I touched

(Inspired by a week one exercise in the poetry chapter of The Portable MFA in Creative Writing)

3. More Sensory Imagery: I find a great place to start when exploring abstract ideas, is to brainstorm sensory imagery. Write down the first few things you think of to answer these questions:

What does isolation smell like?

What does isolation taste like?

What texture is isolation? What does it feel like to the touch? What temperature is isolation? Where do you feel it?

What does isolation sound like?

What color(s) is isolation? What is a symbol of isolation? What does it look like?

4. Choose one poem to study all week: Read your chosen poem again. Read it aloud. What new things come up as you read it? What stands out now? What techniques and tools are the poet using to evoke emotion? Can you identify a form, meter, or rhyme scheme?

Poetry Building

Example poem: Today we’re looking at It was not Death, for I stood up by Emily Dickinson, copied here from poetryfoundation.org for educational purposes.

It was not Death, for I stood up, (355)

By Emily Dickinson

It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down –
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their Tongues, for Noon.

It was not Frost, for on my Flesh
I felt Siroccos* – crawl –
Nor Fire – for just my marble feet
Could keep a Chancel, cool –

And yet, it tasted, like them all,
The Figures I have seen
Set orderly, for Burial
Reminded me, of mine –

As if my life were shaven,
And fitted to a frame,
And could not breathe without a key,
And ’twas like Midnight, some –

When everything that ticked – has stopped –
And space stares – all around –
Or Grisly frosts – first Autumn morns,
Repeal the Beating Ground –

But most, like Chaos – Stopless – cool –
Without a Chance, or spar –
Or even a Report of Land –
To justify – Despair.

*sirocco -a hot wind, often dusty or rainy, blowing from North Africa across the Mediterranean to southern Europe.

Notice how Dickinson uses what something is not to show what it is, repeating the phrase “It was not ___, for. . . .” Also notice how she uses many different senses to describe this moment that was not death but compared to it.

Today’s prompt: Write a poem exploring the fear of isolation using antimetabole.

Form: If you’re looking for more of a challenge, write your poem write your poem in quatrains (four line stanzas) with any rhyme scheme you choose.

Writober Flash Fiction

Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end with conflict that leads to change in less than a thousand words (no minimal word count) inspired by one of the images in the Separation folder of the Writober 2024 Pinterest board. How does fear of isolation affect your character’s perspective and behavior?

NaNo Prep

How does your main character see him or herself? Is your character afraid to be alone, or enjoy alone time? What would your MC do if completely isolated? Now think about your antagonist, and answer the same questions.

Halloween Photography Challenge

Take a photograph that depicts isolation or fear of isolation and link to your photo in the chat.

Get Moving

Now that you’ve read all the prompts and have all these ideas running around in your head, it’s time for motion. Some suggestions:

Fitness Bingo: On Wednesday we talked about fighting rejection with rejection letter bingo. Why not try getting into an exercise habit with Fitness Bingo which I found at PerformanceHealth.com. Some of the bingo exercises use Resistance Bands which were one of the suggestions last week. Or you may want to try these fitness bingo games available from Amazon:

Fun Express Fitness Bingo

Learning Zone Chair Activity Bingo

Or choose your own favorite ways to get moving and make your own Fitness Bingo card.

Fear of Isolation

verb (used with object)

noun