Writing a Triptych: A Portal to the Past

by Cindy Cunningham

In a VERY brief definition, a triptych in visual art consists of three panels that hinge together and are related by theme (such as the famous The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych oil painting by Hieronymus Bosch above.) Writing a triptych also relies on theme and imagery.

I tend to avoid resolutions that seduce me into believing that my life will change exponentially once I attain them. I am much more excited about the journey and reveling in all of the weird connections between the times and spaces of my life thus far, so for this portal into the writing mind, I focus on exploring the past rather than the future.

I suggest following the order without reading all the steps first (but if you are like me, you’ll read all of the steps first any way.) 😊

1--Write down (without overthinking) 5-10 items, activities, or concepts that have always played a role in your life (examples: knitting, rocks, peanut butter, religion, mother.) They don’t have to be “big” or “meaningful” but they can be if you like. You only need to come up with a few. (Option for a writing group or with a writing partner: have someone else give you a topic that is common to humans.)

2--Randomly write down 3 ages in your life. (They do not have to hold particular meaning to you, but they may if you like.) You can write any age from birth to your current age. (Yes, you could write pre-birth or a future self, but those will make it more abstract.) (OPTION for a group or writing partner: have someone else give you three ages to write about.)

3--—Choose one of the three ages and write it at the top of a page (I am a fan of writing by hand on paper, but you may type.) Then, choose ONE of the activities/items/concepts from step #1. Set a timer for 10 minutes (that time is negotiable, but 10 minutes really seems to work!) and write about your relationship to that item/activity at that age. (For example: your relationship to peanut butter at age 7.) Don’t overthink it; just write anything that comes to mind about your relationship to the object/idea/concept at that age. It may be a story or a stream of consciousness or a poem.

4—-Repeat this with the other two ages (for example, peanut butter at 14 and then peanut butter at 21.) You should write about the same item/activity at each age. Take only a VERY short break in between each age—less than twenty seconds to shake out your hand and wiggle a bit. Do not overthink it—you want to portal to the deeper layers of your consciousness. Allow yourself to surprise yourself.

5--Once you finish, read each section aloud. I am a strong believer in reading work aloud—you learn a lot about what you have written when you speak it into being. Look for patterns, for symbols or words that repeated. Look for any phrases that stand out. You might discover that the three pieces work really well as a gestalt—that the three pieces create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. You may also find that one of your pieces works better standing on its own. That’s fine as well! You can then choose to work on this as three individual pieces, as a triptych, or just as an exercise you found (hopefully) enjoyable! You may find that one piece works and the others were just stepping stones to get to that one piece.

OPTIONAL activity: Underline the images or phrases that stand out to you in each section QUICKLY (no more than 30 seconds.) Then write a poem that uses those images or phrases.

I would love to hear your experience writing triptychs!

***Lidia Yuknavitch has long been a fan of the Triptych and she teaches courses on writing them. If you ever get a chance to work with her, you should totally do it! She turned me on to the form in 2019 and I have been playing around with it ever since.

About the Author

Cindy Cunningham

Cindy Cunningham is a seeker of truth, a weaver of words, and a lover of all things literary. With a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University, an MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a PhD in English from Georgia State University, she has immersed herself in the art of understanding human nature and expressing it through the power of language.