“Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.”
Ernest Hemingway
Writing is a solitary sport. But, many of the people I talk with lately cannot get any alone time! And others are home alone, week after week.
Either way, you’re kinda screwed. If you can’t get alone – ARGGggghhH! If you’re loney and listless, it is hard to sustain faith in your work, structure your day, stay productive.
Oh, for some productive, happy alone-time!
Even if you have to be alone in a crowd. My desk is the living room. This normally works well, when I’m home alone all day. Lately? Not so much. But I’ve become very good at ignoring. I’m alone right now, despite others in the room who may or may not be addressing me directly. And I’m not alone, bec I’m with you. I’m thinking about what travails you’re facing – and how I might help.
Messing with Introverts/Killing Extroverts
Writers are often introverts – and thrive on prolonged alone-time. It may feel great not to have a party you must show up at, or people you’re supposed to meet for drinks. But there’s the matter of your house always being populated. And no escape or anonymity.
Extroverts need new people. Where are the people? Where’s the fun?
Some of us are ambiverts – a mix of intro- and extrovert. We like and need time alone, but we also crave people. We like socializing.
For some of us, writing connects us to the greater world. It is a way we seek to feel less alone. We spend time with characters, dwell in rich, populated worlds with problems we can solve. We connect with the world by going inward. Sometimes, this is all grand and fun, and we are blessed to be writers. Sometimes it backfires, and… we feel lonely, even in a group. Misunderstood, even as we clarify our feelings, in writing.
We may feel “weird” and even “dumb.” We can get up inside our heads and get lost… stuck… afraid.
We need community
We need community – even if we are surrounded by family 24/7. (You need somewhere to grouse about them, right?) Bec those lovely and loving people don’t necessarily understand what it takes to write… to be a writer. (Sometimes maybe, even you might waver.)
People like us need each other.
And so, we need another space – a place to go and share our writerly thoughts, emotions, conquests and fears. People call it a safe space, but when it’s clicking, it can be a fun space. A MIGHTY SPACE! Where do you go to be understood, see people like yourself, and gather strength and reserve for your next long and lonely stretch at the computer. We need each other because, writers are the best weirdos in the world.
Join the Mighty Writers Club – a place to write, learn, share, belong
Can you sustain belief?
I don’t know a writer in the world who hasn’t felt the judgement from someone who doesn’t think writing is “worth it.” We work long and frustrating hours and for what? It is not always financially rewarding. Can we recognize and validate the other rewards? Personal and creative? And can we put away the big “productivity” stick we brandish? Can we quit beating ourselves up with it?
Do you think of writing as productive? Or is it an indulgence? Can you sustain the belief that a day spent writing is a day well spent? How about a morning spent writing? Does it hamstring your “real” work, and leave you sheepish?
Can you sustain the excitement and energy of your vision – even when others question it? Those people in the house with you?
It doesn’t take much to squelch a vision – a raised eyebrow, a complaint overheard, someone/anyone with a need.
Join the Club – the Mighty Writers Club
I’m starting a writing community. If you know me, you know I have opinions (and research) about what keeps us from writing at certain phases of the creative process. There is a whole field of science dedicated to better understanding our creativity and how to enhance and empower it. I have my Masters of Science in Creativity, so I know a few creativity hacks. I’m also a certified creativity coach, so I can do the insightful handholding it might take to get you over the hump on any given day. (Read all about it here.)
In this group, I offer you what I think writers need! I feel so strong about this offering, bec I believe it will get you writing and keep you writing! Here’s what you get –
- Periodic help, and then to be left alone (for a whole year!)
- Tools, coaching and support so you don’t get stuck or stay stuck
- A library of information available to you, when you’re ready for it
- Something affordable so you don’t feel bad about “indulging” this creative habit
- A place to ask “stupid” questions and find acceptance and answers
- A small group of writers dedicated to helping one another
- Help to CLARIFY, IDEATE, DEVELOP and IMPLEMENT anything from a poem to a screenplay to a rap song to a novel or a TED talk.
- A place to build your following as you write.
We are storytellers all – and we want to cruise all the way through our creative process to success, as we define it.
If you’re interested – go here for more information. If you have a comment or question, you can leave it in my FB group – Write Without the Fight, and I’ll see and respond there. (Not a member of the FB group yet? OMG! Start there. Use the link and ask to join!)
