“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” — Virginia Woolf
Whether you are a writer or not (we all are, by the way, in some form or another), you understand ‘Journey.’ We’ve all had them. It started in a blaze of fury out of the birth canal. From there, we journeyed in leaps and bounds every day, measured or not. Learning to hold our heads up. Learning to crawl, walk, talk, express and delineate feelings and emotions -these were all hard-earned journeys that led us into the next journey. Going to school, learning how to have friends and avoid the un-friendly. Negotiating high school and social culture. College. Employment. Proper self-care as an adult. Parenting… Yet, somehow, when it comes to certain things – relationships, health, fitness, personal growth, or, say, writing a book – we tend to want to skip the journey part and get to “the end.” The thing is, the end is death. Literally. The destination is the next journey. That has been my experience over and over again.
It was that way when I started writing my first book. I was in a hurry to get it done, and yet I felt like Sisyphus, pushing that boulder up-hill day after day, feeling like I was getting nowhere. But I was, indeed, writing my book. It just felt so scary and uncertain and messy AF. Yet, as I pushed the rock up-hill, day in and day out, I began to notice something: I had pages in my document. Then more pages. And soon, I had a draft. A messy, non-linear, poorly crafted draft, but a draft nonetheless.
Writing is a solitary gig. But it doesn’t have to be. We can create writer groups with our friends, writing classes, we can get a good writing coach (I did). Accountability is the most effective tool I can suggest if you want to complete a draft of anything longer than an essay. Having a guide and/or a set of guidelines to keep coming back to on this artistic journey makes a world of difference. Without them, we get lost, our story gets lost, and then we can’t remember why we wanted to do this in the first place. We get frustrated and we quit.
I’ve had several clients/students say to me, “thank you for helping me find my story again and again when I thought I was losing my way.” That’s what I want for all writers. That’s what I want for you!
If there is a story inside you that’s tugging at your sleeve, you deserve to indulge that tug and write the damn thing. Because you never know who it will heal or help, including yourself. Start. Now. No time like the present. You’re already on the journey. You’re here.
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”― Jodi Picoult
So, if you want to write a book and if you’re feeling like you need a big-a$$ push in the right direction, come learn my philosophy of how to get to writing the damn thing! How?
I have TWO NEW ONLINE WRITING COURSES opening for enrollment on July 1st!
- Unlock Your Story ($29) : A 7-lesson, Self Guided, Online Writing Course that helps you create a foundation for writing by deepening your connection to your inner-storytelling wisdom and by guiding you to fiercely follow the inspiration that is pulling at you to write!
- Map Your Story ($97) : A 10-Lesson, Self Guided, Online Writing Program that is geared towards getting your project on the road to completion (and you’ll come out with a completed outline)!
I love you. Keep going.
Xoxo,
Jen
Do you need some added inspiration to start unlocking your story?
