Everything, Everywhere, Write #1: Writing is Really a Way of Thinking
Linda González show us that we're writing even when we think we're not.
A column about embracing and nurturing your creative journey daily, allowing for growth and flourishing while releasing guilt and self-doubt.
If you’re new here, hi! Sign up so you don’t miss anything! Literary Liberation is 100% reader funded. To support this work, become a paid subscriber.
What!? Too many authors feel bad about their writing life because they only count actual writing. I made a list the other day of all that is part of our writing life since I was offering a What is a Writing Life workshop. Final answer–basically everything – you only need to think about it and it opens up for you. Fun and freeing!
It is crucial to remember that creativity does not only live in our words on paper. We know this intuitively, yet we sigh deeply when we don’t meet whatever word count we may have set for ourselves. I remember coaching a writer who bemoaned her failure to meet the goal of editing her story. “Did you change some words?” I asked. “Yes, but I didn’t get through the whole piece and finalize it.” “That is a different goal!” I replied. “You did indeed edit your story when you changed even one word.”
This may seem like a cop-out, but it is merely an understanding that aspirations and reachable goals are two very different things. Now back to the creativity discussion, which cannot by its nature be linear. Toni Morrison said: “Writing is really a way of thinking—not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet.”
Your mind is spinning its creative wheels all the time, wondering about why so and so said what they said, pondering why flies keep getting into the house, and musing about what you have in the fridge to pull together for dinner. I know you know this. Embrace that a dedicated creative person is “word puzzling” all the time. We don’t just consider each word as we write; we choose words when we speak, we listen to others’ words and assess their meaning and appropriateness. I annoyed a traveling companion because I asked questions about words she used. Apart from being a writer, I have also engaged in racial equity work for years, so I am doubly likely to contemplate words for unexamined harm or meaning. When I am at a protest, I am perusing the signs for the ones that are beautifully rendered and compel me to share it on social media.
The way we think as creatives is what makes us astute observers, noticing when there is incongruence or sweet harmony and channeling this into ideas that sometimes make it onto a page. They are just as likely to be part of a conversation that inspires us to submit what we have written, share a book recommendation, marvel at the evening’s sunset, or look up a favorite recipe.
In the weeks to come we will delve more into how our writing life shows up daily. Here are three questions to savor and support you in the meantime:
How did you engage with your creativity today?
How will you notice and nurture your writing life this week?
What “way of thinking” will you release about your writing life?
If it helps, save the quote and remember–there is no arguing with Toni.
Thank you for reading! We love having you here. If you want to keep reading this series, and others to come, don’t forget to subscribe as a paid member. Here’s to a week full of noticing!