Brenda Ueland, author of If You Want to Write, asserted that “Everybody is talented, original, and has something important to say.”
I love this. This belief highlights our innate creativity and power. We do have something important to say, by virtue of being human and having lived our own, unique experience.
So why does writing or any other creative act require permission?
During many years coaching my clients to write books and build businesses, I’ve seen that creating something is a radical act. Art making demands truthfulness and self-revelation. It’s not comfortable to put ourselves out there. In her book Daring Greatly, Brené Brown writes about vulnerability as the thing we need most but is also most daunting.
My clients often need permission to speak up for themselves and their art. They’re both excited and scared to start something new. Our conversations normalize this fear and help them take steps toward writing their book or blog.
Give yourself permission
The most powerful permission comes not from others, but from ourselves. When we grant ourselves the right to reach and stretch, we loosen up and begin to enjoy the process.
My wish is for you to discover your unique offering and to write it and share it as you see fit. Now that we have spent some time with our inner critic, let’s balance the scales with some extra encouragement to write. Enjoy giving yourself the following permissions to write, and give yourself your own permission!
Permission to be honest. Whenever you write, give yourself room to be honest. Do what it takes to give yourself permission to tell your truth.
Permission to imitate. Copy stories or poems that you like. When you write out other authors’ works, you can gain a deeper understanding of the way they craft their writing. Pay attention to what you notice most as you write their words down. Then try to write in their style.
Permission to practice with a curious eye. Practice word sketching. Like an artist, sketch what you see, hear, and smell right where you are. Sketches are quick and rough, meant as practice, not perfection. Doing this will develop your skills of focusing detail in your writing.
Permission to maintain privacy. Promise yourself that your journal writing is for you and you alone. No one has to see what you are writing. This will help you to retain a sense of safety, which is important as you reach for your writing dreams.
Permission to listen to yourself. Keep a notebook by your bed and jot down your dreams and those wild thoughts that always show up just before you fall asleep or when you wake up. Our unconscious has wisdom to guide us if we stop to listen.
Permission to blab. Think of a secret that you have harbored. Now write it down as a story. This could be a personal secret, a family secret, or even an invented secret. Notice what happens as you write it down and what it feels like afterward. You don’t have to share this with anyone.
Permission to be imperfect. Try writing just for fun. Try writing badly. Give yourself a week or more to write just as you want to, without worrying if it is good. See what happens when you give perfectionism a break.
Permission to be human. Know that there are ups and downs in any endeavor. Don’t be hard on yourself if for some reason you don’t do as much writing as you want to. Enjoy the journey and do what you can.
Take the permission you need and make something. You will never know what your original impulse is leading you to if you don’t follow it.
What permission helps you get going with your writing or art? Share in a comment below.
This essay is adapted from my online class Make Writing a Happy Habit. This and other encouraging lessons start October 28th, 2012. Give yourself permission to start writing now.
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