Writing in the New Year
Hello fellow writers, and welcome to 2020!
This time of year, I'm often struck by the power of cultural narratives. The dominant narrative right now seems to be: You must do more. Resolve to do this, or do that, or do this other thing.
Beneath this narrative, it often seems like there's a subtle but pernicious subtext: If you don't successfully do all the things, then you are somehow less worthy. And the subtext beneath that is that if you stay exactly the way you are and don't resolve to do anything else, then you're not.
Translation: Right now, as you are, without changing anything, you are not worthy. How cruel!
Of course, there's nothing inherently wrong with self-improvement or goal-setting. These are valid and worthy endeavors. But at a time when our cultural narrative is obsessed with doing more, I wanted to uplift an alternative narrative:
You are worthwhile, right now, just as you are, simply because you exist.
What Does this Have to Do with Writing?
For starters, adopting a writer's mind helps us identify cultural narratives and subtext for what they are: rhetorical ideas. They're simply one story about how the world might be. They're not the absolute truth, and they're not a mandate that we all have to follow.
Additionally, becoming aware of these narratives can help us work through some of the obstacles we might face while writing.
In some ways, to write is to declare one's inherent worthiness. It's to say that you are worth spending time with: Your ideas, your experiences, your imaginative creations.
To sit down and spend time exploring your own mind and articulating that mind's workings on paper requires the fundamental belief that said mind is worth engaging with.
Frankly, I think this is one of the reasons that many of us fall off the writing bandwagon:
We struggle to believe that we're worth spending time with, that we are worth "expressing."
There's no simple solution to this. And there's also a risk of falling into the trap of thinking that we need to do more in order to "fix" our issues around not doing more. Ack! It can be exhausting.
I don't know exactly how to address this issue. I struggle with it, too. Working with a trained mental health professional to develop a healthier relationship with yourself is a good start. But beyond that, I think it comes back to that ubiqutious writerly edict: Get your butt in the chair.
Even when you're feeling down on yourself, schedule time to write. Even when you don't believe you have anything worthwhile to say, schedule time to write. Even when you can't imagine why anyone other than your cat or dog would care about your writing, schedule time to write. (And thank your pets for believing in you!)
By making space for writing as a physical act and showing up no matter what, you gradually pave the way for your mind and your emotions to get on board. Make writing non-negotiable on your calendar, and it's more likely to (gradually, eventually) become non-negotiable in your mind. Even 10 minutes a day can make a difference in the way you perceive your "writerly worth."
The reality is that you and your writing are worthwhile. It's as simple (and complicated) as that.
If you're not sure how to make yourself accountable to writing, consider joining my upcoming creative writing series at Colorado Mountain College: Playing with Words. I'd love to see you there!