Getting Back Into Things

Hey friends! Sarah here. With everything going on (more about that in the episode), it had been a while since I had released a new Write Now episode… and I felt like even longer since I had written anything.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m kind of always writing. You probably are, too. Emails, reports for work, texts to friends and family, reviews of products on Amazon, and more emails.

But all of those emails — while certainly time- and energy-consuming — aren’t necessarily the kind of writing that I want to be doing. 

Obligatory vs. Exploratory Writing

In today’s episode of the Write Now podcast, I talk about the writing we have to do to work, communicate, and live in contrast to the writing we want to do — the creative writing that brings us light, joy, and fulfillment.

I arbitrarily labeled them “obligatory” and “exploratory” writing, but you can call them whatever you like. Either way, there is a tricky balance to strike. 

Why Did You Get Away In The First Place?

Often — I hesitate to say “usually” — when we take a break from writing, it isn’t because we necessarily want to or plan to. It’s often simply because Life Happens.

• We get busy.
• We get overwhelmed.
• We get sick.
• Our loved ones get sick.
• We find ourselves far away from home, literally or figuratively.
• We are afraid of writing poorly.
• We are afraid of failing.
• We are afraid of succeeding.
• We overthink what writing means.
• We withhold writing from ourselves because we think we don’t “deserve” the indulgence.

There are a ton of reasons (which you can learn more about in the very first episode of Write Now!). But no matter what takes you away from writing, you can always get back into it.

You never stop being a writer. You never lose that part of yourself. You can’t. If you close your eyes for a long time, you don’t lose your ability to see. Your eyes don’t fall out of your head. The same is true of your ability to write.

Sure, you can fall out of practice, and your writing can get rusty. And that can add extra layers of uncertainty and intimidation.

But you never stop being a writer. You can always return to your craft. 

Always.

You Need This.

 In today’s episode (transcript coming soon), I talk about my experience with getting back into creative writing — the barriers I had constructed, the walls I had put up, the doubts and fears I had amassed. Getting past all of that stuff is really, really hard.

But you need this. It’s so easy to forget that we are creative creatures by our very nature. And that while it’s easy to forget or ignore the need to write creatively, exploratorily, for ourselves, and while the prospect of sitting down to write may feel so very exhausting, we need it.

There are words boiling beneath the surface of our skulls, our brains, whether we choose to acknowledge or ignore them. We need to release them. We need to tell our stories, process our thoughts. We need to write. 

When we do, as I discovered, we’ll feel so much better. Enriched, fulfilled, and joyous. Even if it’s rusty at first.

Do You Need To Get Back Into Writing?

In today’s episode, I suggest you do a bit of homework — challenge yourself to write for just 5 minutes today. Set a timer. Write the word “blah” over and over again if you need to. But put that pen or pencil to the paper and make some marks. Open up your laptop and type out some symbols onto the white screen. 

Five minutes. And you’ll start to remember just how good it feels.

Have you had your own journey with getting back into writing after a day, a month, a season, a decade of not? Let me know what it was like in the comments! And if you still haven’t gotten back into it, I’d love to hear your story, too. (And hey, maybe that’s the writing you’ll do for today.)

Let’s Connect!

I host a free Facebook group for writers — go ahead and join us here! 

If you’d like to support the work I’m doing here at the Write Now podcast, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon! 

Happy writing. 🙂

Words & warmth,

Sarah