My buddy – a broadcast journalist of many years who published his first book two years ago and recently uploaded five ebooks to Amazon’s Kindle store – announced that he is a writer, no longer someone wanting to be a writer or someone trying to write.
That observation did not arise from an objective review of his oeuvres. He was speaking of an internal change in how he functions at his desk.
No longer is he setting about a task he is not sure he has the capacities to accomplish.
Rather he is sitting down as an instrument of his content and with joy in his heart (even writing about the automotive industry).
The difference is in having disempowered the Inner Editor (also called inner critic and superego), or having stepped out of range of its reach.
There are things you can do which will support you in defending against its attacks (which can be subtle or brutal – the latter often in the voice of your angry or disapproving parent). One is to acknowledge that it is looking out for your well-being by saying, “Thank you for your concern, Henry/Martha.”
Saying, “Piss off!” is useful because it requires finding an inner strength to defend your territory and/or personhood. This inner strength is the beginning of defending yourself in the world, too.
Another is to find compassion for yourself, hold your budding writer with the tenderness of a child learning to bake cookies, protecting it from attack as well as encouraging its free exploration.
Suddenly there is the bursting forth of joy to undertake your vision, even if you’ve never been brave before.
This already has the flavor of the shift. You are able to sit in a field of yourself and your content, free of thought of rewards of the future – selling a million copies, being on Oprah, announcing to your business colleagues and church friends that you’re a writer. You are simply letting the universe move your fingers – perhaps in collaboration with images or concepts that come pouring through them.
One way to develop the skill for directly arising AS a writer is to practice free writing – for extended periods and frequently. The process grinds down the inner critic.
Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones is a good introduction to the process for working with writing prompts. Then if you search online for “writing prompts,” you’ll find sites that have hundreds, perhaps thousands.
The practice is to commit a certain amount of time – regularly. Choose 10 or 15 minutes as the period for non-stop writing. If you have enough time, use prompt after prompt. Perhaps you can take a Saturday a month to do this for two hours, covering 8 or 12 prompts that you’ve chosen in advance. (Be brave – don’t choose only those prompts that tell you there’s something exciting to write about. Try some that don’t offer any connect. Here’s a good one that Laura Davis uses with her writing students: “What I have forgotten . . .”
Non-stop writing on prompts will lessen the grip of the critic that obstructs your more formal writing. You will find yourself arising as a writer, delighted by the ease and surprises in the content.
There is no need for the writing that comes out to be good. You are doing it build the writing habit itself. In time your writing is likely to become better – once the critic is outrun by your fingers, your deep wisdom and humor and honesty will guide the process.
If you find someone to read your prompts to – someone who is not invited to do anything but listen – critique, commentary, and even their curiosity about your content are unwelcome – you will begin to hear some wisdom, unexpected humor, and things you’ve kept sub-vocal that you didn’t know you knew so well.
Given the proviso about no feedback, it’s really good to find another writer who is willing to exchange their reading with you – a writing buddy. There is no need to restrict your relationship to only reading prompts – if you find a writing buddy who encourages and gives constructive feedback on your intentional writing, that’s an added gift.
Here’s an experiment: Instead of using your eyes to grasp the world, look out from deep within your eyeballs. You will find a different picture of what the world looks like. Now that’s something to write about!
Laura Davis will send free writing prompts and inspiration to your inbox each week if you subscribe.
Until next time, delight in the process.
Download PDF: To Be or to WANT to Be a Writer