This Writer’s Life at a Crossroads

We’d like to think that things move in a steady trajectory onward and upward. That in life and art we steadily improve, increase our skills and capacity, and ultimately arrive, fulfilled, at some better place than where we started.

But it seems the real path is circular, a spiral that moves forward but can bring us back to where we started. Or maybe it feels more like a squiggly Picasso line.

When clients come to me, ‘stuck’, they worry about their ability to move out of a rut. I assure them that ruts are a normal part of the creative cycle. It’s normal to arrive at a need to renew and refresh your commitment to your art.
My writing life is like that now: I feel like I’m back at the beginning. I’ve written books, e-books, hundreds of articles and finally have completed a novel.

I find myself facing the same concerns my beginning writing students and clients face. Do any of these questions sound familiar to you?

• What’s at the heart of my writing?  I revisit my themes and subjects. What am I yearning to convey?
• What to write next? I wonder what stories to tell and for what purpose. What worlds do I want to invite readers into?
• Who am I writing for? The writing I do for Original Impulse has a specific and commercial purpose. Where’s room for writing that doesn’t have a job to do?
• Will it be any good?  As I look for new, authentic ways to express myself, as I stretch into new forms, I wonder if what I write be any good.

Writer’s coach, coach thyself

I have not reached any definitive conclusion about what to write and how. But, as a writer’s coach, I know how to lead myself to that deep writing place. Here’s what I’m doing to access the next, truer expression of my writing life.

I did a mindmap to capture possibilities and intentions. This helped me lay out possibilities in a visual way, and allowed me to sense which kind of writing was most alluring to me.

I have given myself space to explore without concern for the quality of writing. When I first began writing in 1994, I gave myself five years to write without worrying if it would be any good.

With the help of The Devoted Writer, I have committed to free write daily for 15 minutes. This practice allows me freedom to connect to myself and what I want to say. It’s a safe zone to develop my voice and my relationship with myself.

The same issues my students face crop up in my own free writing:

• Free writing turns into journaling.
• I’m impatient to strike a vein and write something deeply meaningful and amazing.
• I don’t feel a sense of ‘progress’.

Accompanied by the timer, I keep my hand moving over the pages of my notebook, suspending judgment and letting myself write whatever comes up.

I’ve oriented my schedule around writing. I start the day with free writing and then move to essays and articles.

The ongoing quest

Just when you feel you’ve mastered one level of writing excellence, you find yourself rounding another curve in the cycle, forced to confront new challenges with the same commitment and passion you had as a beginner.
It’s a fascinating and challenging journey, this writer’s life, and I am honored and grateful for your attention and support.

What about you?

Where are you at in your writer’s life?
What new practices or perspectives have you put into place to advance your writing?
What are your influences for your writing?

Share where you’re at in your writing journey in a comment below.