This week I met up with my writing friend Taylor for our weekly Zoom writing hour. This human writing connection is something I look forward to, and typically I come into this space with a clear plan for what I want to write, but today I had nothing. After ten prolific writing days in paradise, I came home to New Orleans and was too overwhelmed by dodging tornadoes and catching up on laundry that I skipped two days of morning pages and writing work.
It made me feel uncomfortable. My sister is an avid exerciser. If she doesn’t get in her daily walk and workout, she feels agitated. That’s what I feel when I don’t write something down. I feel annoyed and frustrated and itchy for something that I can’t explain.
So this morning, during On Fridays, We Write, I literally felt like I would have nothing to write. But I had planned for this, didn’t I? I have discussed my love of outlines for nonfiction books, and my current book is no exception. I wanted to fill in some ideas for week seven, and once I opened that document and read over my notes, I was instantly locked in. When my alarm went off at 9am after fifty-five minutes of writing, I was sad the session was over and surprised by how much I was able to accomplish with no plan in place.
But I did have a plan, because I had an outline.
At the end of the hour, Taylor and I chatted about 1000 Words of Summer and what it taught us. We realized 1000 words were easier with fiction than nonfiction, but that 1000 words really wasn’t too hard to achieve when you know you have to write them.
I told her the other thing I learned: the challenge made you write regardless of what your day had in store for you, and writing is so easy not to do if you have no reason to do it.
So let’s give ourselves reasons to write.
Reason One: Because you want to. Writing doesn’t need to be something mysterious that is done in a secluded section of a coffee house. Writing can be done in a quick text to a loved one saying hello, or an email to a client telling them you appreciate them. Write a paragraph of a book you would love to read. Write badly because you can revise it later. Write because you are angry and want to yell on paper. Write to the person you want to become in the future. Write because it makes you feel light. Write because you like that version of yourself. Write because it feels good and because it sounds fun.
Reason Two: Because writing is indulgent, and that’s okay. I used to put off writing because it was too indulgent. I had a list of twenty-five critical things to take care of that were more important. Then I started to learn about nervous system regulation, and it made me realize that doing something just for me was actually healthy and fun. I love to take a walk and text voice memos with book ideas. There is a street in my neighborhood with large homes that have huge trees with Spanish moss draped all around them. I think it’s the perfect backdrop for a nefarious business meeting. I might meet someone and love how she dresses, so I journal about the outfit and then what kind of character I could turn her into. Other times I think about my ideal reader for On Fridays, We Write and imagine us meeting for coffee and what I would say. I write about dream vacations and houses and a more perfect world where people are supported no matter who they are. Yes, writing is indulgent and the one place I can create a perfect scenario, even if my words are not perfect.
Reason Three: Because writing helps you get unstuck. There, I said it. I have come up with an explanation for writing that is prescriptive. Yes, there is actual psychological evidence that writing can benefit your mood and brain function, but I am offering anecdotal evidence only. When I am deeply worried about something, I write about it. I love going back and looking to see how the situation was resolved. This can be something incredibly petty or excruciatingly difficult, the effect is the same. If I write pretend solutions to problems, I actually start to see real solutions executed.
Reason Four: Because it’s your dream. I have a dream of seeing my name on a bestselling list. I plug away at the type of book that could be on a bestselling list because the only way to get there is to do the thing that gets you there. My characters are not fully developed... yet. But the way to get them developed is to meet them on the page. I write characters who embody who I would love to be. I write characters who represent people who have hurt me. I write about the wonderful things I think could happen and the awful things I pray will not happen. I dream that all of those ideas converge into 90,000 words of entertainment that people use to escape a bad coworker or celebrate a great day.
Reason Five: Because writing connects you to other humans. In a world of AI, we need human connection. Yes, AI is more polished than my usual writing, but it is also too perfect for connection. I want imperfectly perfect sentences that make me feel something. I want to read them, and I want to write them. I want to know that when I finish something, it’s authentic to me. No one else could have written it, because I am writing from my own unique perspective about my own experience. Then someone else can read it and feel the connection using their own lived experience. I love reading authors who are passionate about their work, the writers who stay up because they can’t not stay up. That’s who I want to read. Connection is beautiful and valuable and necessary. Writing connects us to past, present, and future generations. Writing is the key to history and the promise of a better future. It’s the great escape and the big reality.
Writing is so easy not to do. But so worth it to do.
So what will you write about this weekend?
WEEK 12 BOOK WRITING UPDATE
What’s working: Sitting down and getting it done!
What got done: Reordered some chapters and filled out some outline points.
What felt hard: Sitting down when I didn’t want to write.
What surprised me: How I feel giddy when I do the work.
6/26: Read through entire first draft revising daily
6/30: Compile first draft into one document
Still on target to talk to my publisher on 7/1, Jessica DeBry about next steps. My goal is to publish in Q4!