The Writing Process
I've been thinking a lot about the writing process lately and came across this quote from one of my heroes, Seth Godin: If we attach ourselves to the outcome, we will sacrifice the process.
What does this mean?
In the context of writing a story or a novel, it means that if we worry about:whether my writing is goodif I'll embarrass myselfwhat happens if no one buys my bookmy family questions my emotional stabilitythe lizard brain tells me to stop trying, that pretending to be a writer is stupid, and that I'm a bad person anyway... Well, you get the picture. This is what happens when we focus on the result. But what if we attach ourselves to the process instead? What would that look like?
The writing process, like any creative process, is an end to itself. In fact, I'd argue that it is the only end worth pursuing. You're not a writer unless you write. Write first, then you become what you do. The way to get there is to write as much as you can.
In the workshops, we talk a lot about getting to your 5th or 6th novel quickly, because by the time you get there, you'll be pretty good at plotting, character development, world building, wordsmithing... But you can't get to good without starting with not so good.
Being attached to the writing process looks like this:showing up to write every day, no matter what (in my experience, the muse only appears after I start writing)writing your best work today (this doesn't mean endlessly revising the same paragraph over and over. There's no test at the end)sharing it with others. In writing groups, on your blog, with your friends and family. The beauty is, this principle applies to not only the arts, but to everything you do... your relationships, job, coaching the soccer team, baking hasty pudding without a recipe :)
Yes, so I'm thinking about the process these days, not so much the outcome. And I leave you with this consideration today: show up, write, share, repeat.
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What does this mean?
In the context of writing a story or a novel, it means that if we worry about:whether my writing is goodif I'll embarrass myselfwhat happens if no one buys my bookmy family questions my emotional stabilitythe lizard brain tells me to stop trying, that pretending to be a writer is stupid, and that I'm a bad person anyway... Well, you get the picture. This is what happens when we focus on the result. But what if we attach ourselves to the process instead? What would that look like?
The writing process, like any creative process, is an end to itself. In fact, I'd argue that it is the only end worth pursuing. You're not a writer unless you write. Write first, then you become what you do. The way to get there is to write as much as you can.
In the workshops, we talk a lot about getting to your 5th or 6th novel quickly, because by the time you get there, you'll be pretty good at plotting, character development, world building, wordsmithing... But you can't get to good without starting with not so good.
Being attached to the writing process looks like this:showing up to write every day, no matter what (in my experience, the muse only appears after I start writing)writing your best work today (this doesn't mean endlessly revising the same paragraph over and over. There's no test at the end)sharing it with others. In writing groups, on your blog, with your friends and family. The beauty is, this principle applies to not only the arts, but to everything you do... your relationships, job, coaching the soccer team, baking hasty pudding without a recipe :)
Yes, so I'm thinking about the process these days, not so much the outcome. And I leave you with this consideration today: show up, write, share, repeat.
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 11 Mohawk Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario K2H7G7
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