Why Do We Write?

by Kellie McGann

I had always dreamed of making it as a full-time writer. Somehow, here I am, every day waking up and driving to a coffee shop to write a book.

In the midst of that, as I’m filled with amazement that I’m actually doing this writing thing, I have to ask myself—why?

Why do I write? Why do any of us write? Why write?

Why do we write?

I used to think I was writing to make a name for myself. I thought I was writing to one day sell lots of books and make money.

But while it’s only been a couple of years since I’ve become a “full-time” writer, each day I come to realize more and more that writing was never about the prestige or money.

I want to take a minute to reflect and remind us why we write.

We write so we can live.

This last week I wrote over 10,000 words. That’s a lot.  It was one of those weeks I just couldn’t stop. Thoughts, words, and pages poured out of me.

It wasn’t a stroke of luck that hit me that week—it was life. It was a week of heartache and pain, and I constantly found myself saying, “I don’t know what to do.”

So I wrote.

It was some of my greatest, deepest writing. I reflected on life, relationships, and letting go. I honestly don’t think I would have survived this last week if I had not been writing.

And while we so often tell ourselves to find our audience and imagine our reader, there will always be times we need to write for ourselves.

It’s a strange concept, but as a writer, not everything you write will be for a grand audience. You will write so that you can live.

We write because we see differently.

The one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.
—Neil Gaiman

Everyone sees the world differently. As writers, we see the world in words.

A chair will never simply be brown and wooden. It will be worn and stained. It will wear coffee rings and tear stains and tell the stories of each.

We see the world in textures and colors that never are what they seem to be. We see the people around us as puzzles and characters, their stories waiting to be written and told.

The young couple holding hands under the Eiffel Tower are not as carefree as they seem, while Parisian pressure tightens their grip.

And I write because I wonder, “What if I am the only one who can see it?”

What if I am the only one who can see the stained chair and tell its story? What if I am the only one who can see through the couple in Paris?

If we neglect to write these stories that only we can see, will they be lost forever?

Maybe.

So we write because we see. As writers we each see the world in different words and have an obligation to write them.

“

Write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. —Neil Gaiman

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We write because it is who we are.

In Annie Dillard’s essay The Death of the Moth, she writes about what it means to be a writer.

How many of you, I asked the people in my class, which of you want to give your lives and be writers? All hands rose to the question. You, Nick? Will you? Margaret? Randy? And then I tried to tell them what the choice must mean: you can’t be anything else.
—Annie Dillard

You can’t be anything else.

You will write because it is who you are. You will write on sunny mornings and rainy afternoons, in coffee shops and on street corners. You will write thousands of words that may never be read, but you will write them anyways.

We write.

We write because, honestly, most days I don’t feel we have a choice. It has become who we are, how we think, see, and speak.

Why do you write? Let me know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Take fifteen minutes to work on the writing that compels you right now. What’s the writing you feel drawn to, inspired by, interested in today? Maybe it’s your work in progress, or maybe it’s a story that’s been brewing in the back of your mind for days. Maybe it’s a blog post, or maybe it’s a journal entry you’ve been wanting to put down on paper.

Whatever it is, take time now to work on it, and let it remind you why you started writing in the first place. When you’re finished, post your practice in the comments section and leave some thoughts for other writers.

The post Why Do We Write? appeared first on The Write Practice.

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Want to Boost Your Testosterone naturally? Here’s How

3 Ways to Pack Your Necklaces without Getting Them Tangled

Out of all your jewelry collection, it’s probably your necklaces that make your head ache when packing for a move or travel.  If you want to travel in style without the hassle of having your necklaces turning into one tangled mess, check out these 3 ways to keep your necklaces organized:

Straws
There is a nifty way to prevent your necklaces from tangling–and it’s one of our favorite jewelry-packing tips. Take a plastic drinking straw and feed an unclasped necklace through the center. Then close the clasp once again. Do this for each necklace or bracelet you believe might get tangled with one another. Toilet paper rolls are a great alternative for chunkier necklaces. Source: Rent

Plastic Wrap
Put down a layer of plastic wrap, lay your necklaces out, and then cover with another layer of plastic wrap. Press the two layers together around your necklaces to keep them separated. Gently fold or roll your wrapped necklaces so that they create a small bundle that’s easy to pack in your suitcase.
Less bulky necklaces, like pendants on chains, work best with this method. You can also pack bracelets this way, but buttons will work best for earrings. While the plastic wrap will provide some protection, if your bundle has any particularly delicate jewelry in it, wrap clothing around the bundle for added padding. Source: Lifehacker

Ziploc Bags
Use the tiny Ziploc bags that extra buttons come in when you buy clothes. They’re great for holding a thin necklace, a pair of earrings or a pendant for a necklace. Source: PearlsofTravelWisdom

 

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Benefits versus Benefits: Choosing Happiness with the Freedom Model

Addiction is a choice and NOT a disease! Can I be any more vocal about this?

Over the past few months I’ve shared intimate stories about my own lifestyle choices in particular with alcohol abuse and how it affected me physically, emotionally and psychologically. No one forced me to drink, I chose it willingly. And unfortunately, like many, I pointed a finger at anyone other than myself for my state of being during that period of my life.

 The following is a short video message I recorded just before hitting ‘publish’ on this article. 

If this wasn’t enough, I surveyed you my readers about your ideas surrounding addictions, and you responded. Your answers were open, honest and in many cases, extremely transparent. One thing that sticks out among all the replies I received, “98% of us either have, or know someone struggling with a substance abuse issue”. Even still, it’s clear that the topic of addictions is one that the majority are NOT openly willing to engage in conversation about and understandably so – who wants to admit they choose a substance over personal responsibility (or in many cases, personal happiness)!?

Wanting to bring to light many of the issues stemming from the “Recovery” treatment industry, we explored some of the mind-boggling statistics, trends and corruptions in the ‘status quo’ processes. We exposed some of the major hypocrisies that exist in the industry and also exposed the very stark reality that all the billions of dollars being dumped into “addiction recovery and treatment” is not helping to lessen the problem. In fact, the problem is seemingly getting worse, despite the large amounts of resources being dumped into the treatment industry. While this is certainly disheartening, it’s not surprising considering the way in which the treatment industry is trying to help people. Bottom-line, addiction is not a disease, so why are we as a North American society continuing to treat it as one? It’s a battle with a losing strategy and we’ll never win unless we make some widespread changes.

Note to reader: If you, or someone you care about, is dealing with a substance abuse issue, I highly recommend reaching out and connecting with someone from Saint Jude Retreats. In addition to the residential facilities, they also offer a Home Program and a Long Distance Learning program as well — exclusive for my tribe, use discount code “addictionfreelife” to receive 15% off

Occam’s Razor and the treatment of Addictions

Occam’s Razor states that when we are faced with two similar explanations for an occurrence, the one which needs the least amount of explaining is often the correct explanation. I see a lot of this in my own personal journey with overcoming my abuse of alcohol and substances.

When I stopped drinking back in 2010, I made a choice to prioritize and pursue my own personal happiness above all else. This solution, seemingly simple in design, wasn’t easy. However, maintaining the course and pursuit of my happiness became second nature the longer I did it. Of course I explored other “recommended” solutions, which promised a certain result – ultimately the cessation of alcohol and substance abuse – but would involve a laborious and unceasingly, arduous journey consisting of weekly meetings, 12-step program adherence, counselling, phone calls, admitting my powerlessness to substances and accepting that I had a disease, and so on…

And so, I pursued a different course that made much more sense to me from a lifestyle and happiness standpoint. This alternative option, which I later learned to be called the Freedom Model (Positive Drive Principle) provided me with a similar result, but one which empowered me to choose my own actions rather than remain a victim to a disease. And you know what, it is the simplest explanation for understanding how I overcame my substance abuse issues.

But, enough about the problems, let’s talk about solutions

In a previous article I went on and on about why addiction is not a disease. This is a FACT and no longer up for debate. I want to talk solutions – in particular let’s talk about the Freedom Model.

The Freedom Model, a new program developed by and soon to be implemented by Saint Jude Retreats, is truly unique in that it goes about helping people in an entirely different way. One of the core components of the Freedom Model is what they’ve termed The Positive Drive Principle (PDP):

The PDP states that a universal condition exists where all people always move in the direction of happiness and what they believe will be the most beneficial to them at any given point in time – and that includes heavy and consistent substance use as well as other seemingly perceived negative behaviors.

You see, the PDP is not really something you can implement, or practice. It just simply is. It’s a universal motivation in human behavior.

In a recent interview with Ryan Schwantes, president of Baldwin Research and Saint Jude Retreats, he assured me that the PDP is absolutely true. In his years of dealing with “addiction” he’s heard several individuals say “I don’t know why I continue to drink when I know it’s hurting my career” or “I just can’t seem to stop, even though I know it’s hurting me physically and mentally”. Once Saint Jude’s has the opportunity to thoroughly go over the PDP with their guests and help them come to the understanding that they, in fact, choose to use drugs or alcohol because it gave them a sense of happiness at that given point and time, then they can begin to really think about what they’re doing before they do it.

Is the Positive Drive Principle a truly unbreakable argument?

Schwantes has faced hundreds of different scenarios in which people have tried to break the argument, and he shares that it “has yet to be done”.

And so this begged the following question, “What’s the most common argument or push-back you get when sharing the PDP?”

Schwantes shared the following…

“How can people choose something that is harmful or damaging to them, like continuing to drink, when they have liver disease?”

What it boils down to is the benefits. Let me explain.

All choices have benefits or perceived benefits, as well as consequences, or perceived consequences. Every single time you make a decision you are making a very calculated decision in your mind as to what will bring you the most benefits, and you move in that direction. Often times, because of repetition and habitual thinking, you make a decision without actually measuring those benefits, but rather you make a decision that you know for certain will bring you a sense of happiness because it has done so before. The path of least resistance so to speak. And this is why people often say, “I can’t help it, I just can’t stop once I start drinking”.

Your mind works in a similar way, if you don’t actively train your mind to be mindful of your choices, it will simply react and carry out the path of least resistance which is often based on past, repeated experiences.

At the end of the day, we really do have control over our thoughts. Every single one of them, and it’s impossible do anything without thinking about it first. Go ahead and try it. Try to do any action without thinking about it first — now don’t get frustrated, it can’t be done.

Need more proof? Check this out

Here’s a prime example of how the mind will do what it believes it’s supposed to do based on repetition. Watch the following video:

You see this little experiment really proves how your mind operates. It will move in the direction of least resistance and do what it has been trained to do, but when you stop and think about what the heck you’re doing, you are able to harness the power of your mind and perform the action accordingly. This is how personal autonomy and free will work.

Freedom of the mind knows that you have full control of your thoughts, feelings, and perspective on all things in your life. If you fully understand that you have complete control within your thoughts – and always have! – you can never be under the magical spell of anything ever again.

Schwantes went on to share a recent discussion he had with a researcher friend. Ryan’s friend was asking him questions about his past drug use, more specifically his preference to GHB and what it was like. As someone with no past experience with GHB, Ryan’s friend was trying to establish an understanding of his past experience and Ryan’s present day thoughts on it now. Ryan explained to him that when he was using GHB, he really enjoyed it – in fact he enjoyed pretty much everything about it in the moment. Ryan shared that to this day, he believed the way he felt on GHB was pleasurable and he enjoyed it, as he did with marijuana and various other drugs. Ryan’s friend flat out asked him, ‘then WHY don’t you use drugs anymore?’

I am in charge of how I feel today – I choose happyness!

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Benefits vs. Benefits (an Analytic Approach to Choice)

Ryan began to laugh, explaining his present stance on his drug use (and note, this is a full understanding of the PDP and how affects your choices and actions). Ryan told him, “Because other things are more important to me now than getting high. I have a wife, a 3 year-old son and another little boy coming this December. Being a good father and husband brings me more joy than any high ever could. I have a great career that I carry a great amount or responsibility; I enjoy staying in shape and being active and helping others do the same.”

“All of those passions in my life bring me a great amount of happiness, and I am not willing to substitute that happiness for the happiness I may get from smoking marijuana, taking GHB or any other substance, because to me I get greater happiness spending time with my family, being responsible in my career, and engaging in fitness and training,” Ryan shared.

I love this story from Ryan as it reminds me of the internal dialogue I had during early 2010 after making my initial choice to forgo drinking alcohol.

Being mindful of each decision and analyzing ONLY the benefits of each decision, I make the choice to not drink alcohol because, like Ryan, whatever benefits we may get from using alcohol or drugs (which there are benefits), they’re dwarfed in comparison to the benefits I get from choosing to spend time with my family and the other things I love to do. It’s all a matter of relative happiness.

Taking this approach of “benefits to benefits” analysis is a great way to look at the decisions you make. By doing this, you don’t make decision based on fear, missing out, or based on the consequences; instead, you make decisions based on the perceived benefits you get from each of your decisions. By doing this, you aren’t able to lay blame on anyone or anything other than yourself because after all, you are the one making the choices.

Let’s take a situation we might be a bit more familiar with and apply the Positive Drive Principle (PDP).

Benefits vs. Benefits: A DadBod perspective

The DadBod scenario.

Last year the term ‘DadBod’ received a ton of press around the world. I even wrote an article on it, which you can read here. The term ‘DadBod’ is a label used to refer to a once fit and ‘in-shape’ guy who has had kids and then became ‘pleasantly plump’ or put on a few too many pounds. Pearson, the person attributed to coining the term, explains it this way:

“…it’s a nice balance between a beer gut and working out. The dad bod says, “I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.”

Now take note, those afflicted with the DadBod label didn’t become overweight all of a sudden – it was a gradual process and culmination of many, many days of choosing a certain action (or lack thereof). However, in many instances, to the dad’s afflicted by this phenomena, it felt like it just happened all of a sudden. That’s perspective for you.

Now let’s apply the PDP to these unfortunate dudes.

What really happened is that other aspects of life became more important than being fit and healthy. I’m not saying this is bad per se, it’s just a situational fact. The new father’s child brought him much more happiness than going to the gym and so consequently he chooses to spend as much time as possible with his child. Whereas, before having children, the guy prioritized his fitness and health, and as a result kept in shape. At that time, it ultimately brought him a great amount of happiness, but then, post-kids he valued time with them above working out. To him, the greater happiness was achieved by being with his kids. How many fathers can relate to this situation? I know I can!

Now, of course it’s easy to say, “I haven’t been to the gym for years because my kids are young and require a lot of my energy, time and quite frankly are pretty needy.” “I really love watching them grow and learn, and I want to be there for them.”

True. I can’t argue with anyone who says this to me. And if it’s bringing the individual happiness, what’s the problem?

The problem is I’m overweight and I want to get back in shape! But I’m torn because I don’t want to spend less time with my kids, meanwhile the negative feelings associated with being overweight make me depressed. It’s quite the conundrum isn’t it?

Well obviously there’s a way to gain happiness from both decisions, include your kids in your workout plan by doing activities with them, running, biking, swimming, etc. (FYI: here’s 4 ways to be a more active parent)

This is an easy decision because once you have the clarity as to what you yourself did to create the situation you find yourself in, you can easily make a plan to do both — 1. get yourself back in shape by being more physically active, and 2. continue to spend time with your kids by including them in your new activities.

You know being in shape will help you achieve happiness and you know being with your kids will help you achieve happiness. It’s all about the level of happiness you want to have. You can achieve a certain amount of happiness by just going to the gym and being active, and you can achieve a certain level of happiness by just being with your kids. So let’s combine them both and up the level of happiness all together!

Benefits vs benefits and the PDP – is this starting to make more sense? Can you see how this can positively affect your life on many different levels?

Whether it be family, fitness, faith or finances, or dealing with substance abuse, the Freedom Model is a systematic way to help yourself overcome any adversity in life.

So, now what? How does this help me?

All this being said, I’m sure you’ve heard the cliche, “Knowledge is Power”. As overused as this expression is, it is absolutely true. If you are dealing with a substance abuse issue, then take this bit of knowledge and choose to do something with it. And I know if you were to sit down and carry out a benefits versus benefits analysis, you’d agree. Reach out to Ryan at Saint Jude Retreats and have a conversation. You are worth it. You matter.

Addiction is not a disease - it's simply a choice

Choose you and your happiness - you're worth it!

It's no secret, but it's something most of us choose not to ever talk about. In fact, 98% of us either have, or know someone struggling with a substance abuse issue right now.

Based on all the correspondence I've received since starting the #AddictionFreeLife article series, there's a lot of us out there looking to make some positive changes in our lives.

Reaching out for help creates anxiety, nervousness and there's always a fear of judgement. I get that. I respect that. And quite frankly it's why I fully entrusted Ryan Schwantes of Saint Jude Retreats to help me and my tribe. He's an avid fitness enthusiast who understands first-hand how we are feeling and what we are going through, because he's been there and worked through it himself too.

If you are part of the 98% and looking to make some positive lifestyle changes, just fill in the below and reach out to Ryan personally. All communications are private and confidential between you and Ryan.

You're worth it.

[contact-form-7]

If you’ve missed the first 4 articles in the #AddictionFreeLife series, click the below images to get the full back story:

This post is sponsored by Saint Jude Retreats. The opinions and views are wholly my own…

And to be absolutely clear, this is my disclaimer: “Just so you know, I have been compensated to share my ideas on this topic. Sometimes it is in the form of products, or services or even money… But here’s the thing; I won’t  share anything with you that I don’t fully support. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how much they are willing to give me, if I don’t believe in it, It won’t be on my site. Seriously. You’ll just have to trust me on this.” ~ Coach Moose

If you, or anyone you know, resonate with any of the information shared in this post, do not hesitate to reach out for more information. Call my friends at Saint Jude’s at 877-958-3310 or reach out to them directly via www.SoberForever.net — don’t bother waiting, don’t seek out the advice of others, simply make the decision to choose you and your health first, you deserve happiness.

FREE RESOURCES for Substance Users and Family Members

FREE E-BOOK FOR THE FAMILY

This e-book provides family members of substance users with a completely unique and common sense approach to helping their loved one while simultaneously gaining back the focus and freedom for their own lives.

FREE E-BOOK FOR THE SUBSTANCE USER

It is Saint Jude Retreat’s mission since 1989 to provide a research based program to help you move beyond your current self-limiting habits and achieve a sustained balance in your life driven by your own freely chosen goals and dreams.

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6 Ways to Let Go of Past Writing and Create Something New

by Pamela Hodges

Our past writing can keep us from writing now. We writers may feel discouraged and not write if we think our past writing was horrible. Or maybe we think we were brilliant, and we will not write because we feel we can never write that well again. Or maybe we think we are better at being typists for our cats than we are at writing our own stories.

A Writer Who Let Go

I met a writer last week, Sheila, who destroyed her past writing. She told me she had just shredded everything she ever wrote—journals, poetry, and short stories. I asked her if she still had the shredded paper. I wanted it.

We met in Valley Forge Stare Park by the bike trail at three o’clock. She walked over to the park bench where I was sitting in the shade. She carried only a small purse. Where is the shredded paper? Is it in her purse? Maybe she didn’t write that much? I wondered.

“Did you bring your shredded writing?”

“It’s in the trunk.”

The bag of shredded paper was as large as a human torso.  A bag of words, sentences, paragraphs, thoughts. Shredded.

I asked her, “Why did you shred your writing?”

“I was so attached to the writing. I thought this was the best work I could ever do. I wasn’t writing. I couldn’t.”

“What did it feel like to shred your writing?”

“I haven’t written in three years. Once the writing was shredded, the attachment was gone. I feel like I have a clean slate now. My old writing doesn’t hold me back anymore.”

“What will you do now?”

“I will go and buy a new notebook and reacquaint myself with my writing self. With who I am now. I want to write again.”

She gave me the bag of paper and then drove away. Maybe to buy a new notebook.

How Much Does Your Writing Weigh?

The bag of shredded writing weighed eleven pounds, fifteen ounces. The bag was 36 inches long and 15 inches wide. A long rectangle.

I wanted to photograph her words. Her words became art. Shape texture.

I am not going to throw the paper away. I am going to make it into a sculpture. (Would you like to see it when it is finished?)

Writers Change Over Time

Sheila was unable to write while she still had her old writing. But now that she has let it go, she will write something new.

The new writing will be different than the writing that came before. That is a good thing. The old writing was worthwhile, and the new writing will be, too. But until Sheila let herself move beyond the old writing, she could not create more.

Writers change over time. Embrace this process and give yourself permission to change.

Each new writing project will be different from what came before. We don’t need to destroy what we have already written like Sheila did, bu we might need to find strategies to help us approach our writing differently.

“

Give yourself permission to change. You don’t have to write the same way all of your life.

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I know that change can be disorienting, or even discouraging. But even as you let go of old writing so you can create new writing, remember that none of your work is ever wasted because you wouldn’t be where you are now without it.

“Your writing is not you. You are more than the sum of your writing. It’s okay to let go of the things you have written.”
— Alice Sudlow, Editor and Word Wizard

6 Ways to Move in a New Direction With Your Writing

Do you need to allow yourself to change? Sheila shredded all her writing. You do not need to shred all your writing if you don’t want to. Instead, try one of these strategies to get reacquainted with your writing self.

1. Write in a different location

If you have always written in the same chair at your local coffee shop, sit in a different chair. If you write in your closet behind your winter coats, consider writing at your kitchen table where there is better air circulation.

2. Travel

Go to a different grocery store to buy cat litter. Or be daring and drive six hours to Niagara Falls and smell the fresh Canadian air.

3. Change your writing routine

Write in the morning instead of at night. Write before you clean the seven litter boxes, not after. Write with a felt pen instead of on your computer. Write while listening to classical saxophone by Bryon Bellows. Bryon is my cousin.

4. Write in a different genre

If you normally write about your cat, write about people. If you normally write children’s stories, perhaps write an adult thriller. If you usually only write a grocery list on Monday for grocery shopping on Wednesday, consider writing a short story.

5. Change the length of writing you do

Instead of writing novels, write a short story. Or perhaps write a letter a friend who lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, whom you really miss.

6. Change a household routine

Do your laundry on Tuesday instead of Monday and see if that changes how you approach your writing. If you decide to only wear black shirts for a year, will that let you focus more on your writing because you don’t have to decide what color shirt to wear? (I will let you know if it works. All my shirts are black except for two gray shirts. But, I am going to go all black on October 1st.)

You are a writer. You can write.

If you didn’t like what you have written in the past—you are learning. Keep writing.

If you really liked what you wrote in the past—you can do it again. Keep writing.

If you loved every word you wrote in the past—edit out the words you love but don’t need. You don’t have to keep everything. Keep writing.

If your past writing is keeping you from writing today—forget about it. Sit down. Write. Keep writing.

Have you ever felt like your old writing is keeping you from writing now? Please let me know in the comments section. I would love to know more about your writing. Really.

PRACTICE

Write for fifteen minutes on a work in progress. Or, if you want to, write about something you have never written about before. Give yourself permission to experiment.

Whatever you choose to write, when you’re finished, share it in the comments and leave feedback for other writers.

p.s. What day do you do laundry?

p.s.s. The Second Annual Wacky Writing Prompt Scavenger Hunt comes back on September 13th! If you have any suggestions for prompts, let me know in the comments. If I use one of your prompts in the scavenger hunt, you will win a box of 30 pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga pencils because you never know when you might want to write down a story idea. And who has time to sharpen a pencil when you have an idea?

xo
Pamela

The post 6 Ways to Let Go of Past Writing and Create Something New appeared first on The Write Practice.

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First Look: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Driver

The 20 Second Intro

Callaway puts the emphasis on control by using next generation multi-material construction and aggressive shaping to create its most forgiving driver ever.

Available Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 13.5°
Adjustability: Opti-Fit
Stock Shafts: UST Recoil Driver, Mitsubishi Diamana Red
Stock Length: 44.5” or 45.5”
Retail Price: $399
Availability: Pre-Sale beginning 9/9. Full retail 9/30

By: Tony Covey

“Holy shit. The FT-iZ is back” - me

It’s been a while since I quoted myself, but, hey, that was absolutely my first thought when I laid eyes on Callaway’s new Big Bertha Fusion Driver. And not for anything, I’m pretty damn sure I’m right.

We’ll get to why that is (beyond the obvious it looks like the FT-iZ) in a moment, but first let’s talk about what Big Bertha Fusion isn’t.

Big Bertha Fusion is not a replacement for the Great Big Bertha. Yeah, it’s true, we’re about 1 year into GBB, but this isn’t that. If you take me at my word, that leaves XR16 and Fusion as the current models in the Callaway lineup. That leaves an obvious hole where Great Big Bertha used to be, and while I don’t know exactly how Callaway will fill it, if you want/like/need a highly adjustable driver, my recommendation is patience.

What makes me so sure? While you were grumbling about accelerated product cycles, Callaway has quietly increased the shelf life of its products. 18-24 months… that’s the new normal.

Why “Fusion”

For the last few years, Callaway has been on a run of nostalgia with its product names. It’s a win-win. Consumers flock to the familiar while the marketing guys don’t have to worry about dreaming up the next iconic identity maker.

It’s worked exceptionally well for Callaway thus far, but between us, when RAZR and JAWS make their comebacks, I’ll know it’s time to walk away.

The whole Bertha’s Back thing was about rebirth; both for the franchise and the company.

The recent trend is more evolutionary. It’s about using the lessons of the past to create modern, and hopefully better products, with elements that remain true to the original designs.

The new steelhead irons… they actually resemble the original steelheads.

Fusion?

Bertha Fusion represents Callaway’s most significant breakthrough in multi-material construction since Callaway’s original multi-material driver, the 2004 ERC Fusion. And that pretty much makes this the ideal time to revive the franchise, while giving a not-so-subtle nod to the FT-iZ.

To understand what that actually means, we need to take a closer look at the technologies baked into Callaway’s newest offering.

EXO-CAGE

EXO-CAGE is Callaway speak for the titanium skeleton - more accurately the Exo skeleton - that supports the various bits of the Big Bertha Fusion. It’s the structure that makes the rest of the cool stuff baked into Big Bertha Fusion possible.

TRIAXIAL CARBON

The real story here is Callaway’s new Triaxial carbon. It’s what provides the justification for bringing the Fusion name back. Callaway has previously used what it called Forged Composite in its multi-material designs. It sounds really impressive, and it’s definitely better than the alternative layers of chopped graphite fibers glued together. Forged Composite was once described as the particle board of carbon fibers. That’s not particularly kind, but it paints a vivid, and not wholly inaccurate picture of what Forged Composite is.

Triaxial is different. Instead of layering carbon fibers together, in the new material the fibers are woven or braided together. Similar structures are already in use in many high-end shaft lines. The benefit of weaving the material is that it preserves the strength of the material, while reducing overall thickness (by 35%), and with it, the total weight.

Callaway’s claim is that Fusion’s 15.1 gram Triaxial carbon crown is 65% lighter than titanium (XR16). That part is true, but it’s an intentionally large number that makes the savings appear more substantial than they actually are.

Let’s look at this in context. We put the actual weight of Callaway’s previous Bertha composite driver crown at approximately 16 grams, so really we’re talking about ~1 gram over the most recent member of the Big Bertha family.

However, with consideration for Fusion’s elongated design (greater crown surface area), the apples to apples savings are almost certainly greater… just not 65%.

We should also mention that the Triaxial Carbon crown features Callaway’s aerodynamic-enhancing Speed Step ribs, which I’m practically obligated to remind you was developed in partnership with Boeing.

Speed Step helps reduce drag during the downswing, which in theory, helps boost head speed.

In addition to the crown, Callaway has replaced a portion of what would otherwise be titanium in the sole with two chunks of additional Triaxial material. Design credit where it’s due, this is similar to the Carbon Zones Cobra introduced with the FLY-Z+. For what it’s worth, Callaway appears to be using even more carbon fiber in Fusion’s sole.

Replacing areas of titanium where they’re not explicitly needed also frees up mass.

Saving as much weight as possible is especially critical when the goal is the push the center of gravity down and back, which is exactly what Callaway says it has done with the Bertha Fusion.

This is where things start to get interesting.

Why would Callaway move away from adjustable weights and towards a non-traditional shape reminiscent of the FT-IZ? Two words: Forgiveness and Control.

Forgiveness

I’ve been told that the Callaway Bertha Fusion is the most forgiving driver the company has ever made (the company is claiming a 17% increase in total MOI compared with XR16), and while we don’t have a heel/toe MOI number we can use to put that into context, everything about the design – the weight saving chassis, the lighter crown material, and the elongated FT-IZ shape - suggests all the elements are there for a legitimate low/back CG driver.

Refactoring some of the data provided by Callaway, I believe we’re talking about a center of gravity location that’s roughly 1.25mm lower than the XR16, and lower than what we’d typically find in a high MOI design.

That information along with an educated guess about an actual heel/toe MOI number, along with Callaway’s assertion that Fusion’s sweet zone^* is the largest of any Callaway driver ever, suggests a driver that should hold its own alongside the PING G30/G and Cobra FLY-Z/F6.

*The area of the face where impact produces no less than 3 MPH of the peak ball speed.

Control

Distance is king, so within the confines of that reality we’ve often joked that anyone trying to market accuracy would find themselves out of business quickly.

I suppose we can consider the Bertha Fusion a well-hedged test case.

When FT-iZ launched it was billed as the “straightest driver Callaway has ever developed”. One would hope that Callaway would seek to carry on that tradition with Bertha Fusion.

How do you do that? All of that forgiveness and MOI stuff notwithstanding, Callaway did it the easy way.

It shortened the shaft.

Seriously.

With the Big Bertha Fusion, Callaway is actively marketing a 44.5” shaft. Think of this as your control option.

Sure, you could choose the alternative (45.5”) distance option, but we think most of you will find that shorter is better. In Callaway tests, 30% of golfers actually hit the shorter shaft farther. We believe that out in the wild, across the whole of the golfing population, that percentage will prove to be higher, and that’s before accuracy becomes part of the discussion.

Control over distance isn’t the sort of thing you hear with a new driver release, but Callaway’s position is that, in the grand scheme of things, straighter is longer.

Whether you choose distance or control, the Big Bertha Fusion driver offers to stock shaft options. Not a whole lot is known about the first ever UST Recoil driver shaft. Callaway says it’s “designed to load energy on the downswing and unload with an extraordinary combination of power and precision through impact.”

The second option is Mitsubishi’s Diamana Red. Generally, the Red generally works well for golfers looking for a little extra help getting the ball airborne.

To refresh the important point: both shafts are available in stock lengths of either 44.5” or 45.5”.

Let’s See What Happens Next

“It’s really good. The shape isn’t that unusual, and when they hit it, golfers will get over any hesitation they may have about it.” – Harry Arnett, SVP of Marketing and Brand Management, Callaway Golf

I suspect that Callaway’s competitors will be watching closely to see how the Big Bertha Fusion performs with actual golfers. Manufacturers moved away from so-called radical geometry (squares and triangles) years ago because the consumer never embraced the non-traditional designs in any meaningful numbers.

With currently available materials, unconventional is the only way to raise MOI to the USGA Limit. We don’t yet know how far (if at all) Callaway has pushed the boundaries, but it will be interesting to see if consumers are more willing to embrace non-traditional designs than they’ve been in the past.

Finally, we should all be watching closely to see if the distance obsessed golfer is ready to get on-board with this shorter shaft thing. If that happens it might start the sort of trend that actually leads to better golf.

Specs, Pricing, and Availability

The Callaway Big Bertha Fusion driver will be available in lofts of 9°, 10.5°, and 13.5° (HT). Presales begin September 9^th, with full retail availability starting 9/30. Retail price for the Callaway Big Bertha Fusion is $399.

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First Look: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Fairway Woods

The 20 Second Intro

Callaway leverages multi-material construction and Speed Step technology to create its most forgiving fairway wood.

Available Lofts: 3-wood (15°), 5-wood (18°), 7-wood (21°)
Adjustability: None
Stock Shaft: UST Recoil ES
Stock Length: 3-wood - 43", 5-wood - 42.5", 7-wood - 42"
Retail Price: $249
Availability: Pre-Sale beginning 9/9. Full retail 9/30

By: Tony Covey

Not unlike the namesake driver, Callaway’s goal with the Big Bertha Fusion fairway was to use shape and multi-material construction to create its most forgiving fairway wood ever.

Call it the same, but a little different.

While the Big Bertha Fusion fairway wood does feature a Triaxial carbon crown, it lacks the EXO-CAGE of the driver. That means nearly all of the comparative weight savings come from the change in crown materials.

Callaway’s comparative weight data is based on the titanium-crowned XR 16, which makes for a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. It also, however, makes the weight-saving benefits of carbon fiber all the more clear.

According to Callaway, Bertha Fusion’s Triaxial carbon offers a savings of nearly 20 grams over XR 16’s titanium crown. For those who don’t obsess over mass properties (most of you, I’m guessing), 20 grams may not sound like much, so it’s important to note that 20 grams works out to a 78% reduction in total crown weight.

That’s significant.

As is usually the case with these weight saving stories, Callaway took most of that extra mass and moved it low and to the back of the clubhead. The result is a 19% bump in MOI (forgiveness) compared to the XR 16 fairway.

Other Features

Speed Step Crown – For the first time Callaway is using its aerodynamics-enhancing Speed Step crown in a fairway wood. By Callaway’s own admission, there’s inherently less drag with a fairway wood than a driver to begin with. Couple that with slower head speeds in general (the benefits of Speed Step are exponentially proportional to head speed), and you can understand why any Speed Step related gains might be minimal. That said… it’s golf and every little bit counts… especially when there’s water between you and the target.

Refined Sole Shape – Callaway has reduced the amount of contact area on the sole with the goal of improving turf interaction, while improving the overall versatility of the club.

Bonded Hosel – Perhaps not so much a feature as it is a lack of one, but we’d be remiss to point out that the Big Bertha Fusion fairway wood features a traditional, bonded (glued) hosel, and is not adjustable.

What it Gets You

In what basically amounted to a footnote in the Callaway presentation, Callaway suggests that the Big Bertha Fusion launches 1° higher than the PING G while producing 1.3 MPH higher ball speed (based on player testing).

We haven’t yet had a chance to independently verify the claim, but the comparison alone suggests that Callaway is serious about positioning the Big Bertha Fusion as among the most forgiving on the market today.

Will the Shape Be A Problem?

As with the driver it’s going to be interesting to see how the unconventionally-shaped Big Bertha Fusion fairway resonates with consumers. If it falls flat, shape will likely absorb most of the blame, and it could be quite some time before anyone strays this far from conventional.

If, however, Big Bertha Fusion is well-received by the golfing consumer, then I suspect we’ll very quickly see a reemergence of the trend toward so-called radical shapes. By nearly every account, the secret to higher MOI lies in geometry, but we won’t get there as long as the consumer continues to put aesthetics ahead of forgiveness.

Specs, Pricing, and Availability

The Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Fairway is available in lofts of 15°, 18°, and 21°. The stock shaft is the UST Recoil ES. Pre-Orders begin on 9/9/16, with full retail availability starting 9/30/16.

Retail price is $249.

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