Your Story Will Teach You What You Didn’t Know
You may think that the task of writing is simply to take what’s in your head and put it on the page. If all goes well, nothing gets lost in transit. But what if you gain something in transit, like the time my mom returned from a roadtrip with a baby turtle she picked up at a gas station? Unexpected. Delightful. A bit shocking. As you write, you may be surprised to find that your story is a creature all its own, and it has something important to say.
Writing opens the mind
The great memoirist Joan Didion once said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” If you’re a journaler, you can probably relate to this. The process of writing about an experience allows you to reflect, recall details, make meaning, and view it from a fresh perspective.
Have you ever gasped in shock or nodded in understanding at something that came uninhibited from your pen? That’s how I really feel?! Yes, that’s how I really feel. Of course, writing about an experience doesn’t change what happened, but it does change your understanding of what happened, and that is how you start to make meaning of your experience.
Go easy on structure at first
Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines, especially in the first draft. I am a big planner, so I know this can be hard. I like to know exactly where I’m going before I begin. But in writing, it’s like taking a road trip and using major landmarks to navigate rather than turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps. If, while driving, you see a river and suddenly have the urge to jump in, go for it. Follow the flow of your story. You might be surprised where it takes you.
Be open to what your story has to teach you
Next time you open to a fresh page on your notebook or computer, eyes wide with terror, let some of the pressure off. Get curious. What does your story have to teach you? Come to the blank page with an open mind, not to instruct, but to be instructed, not to inform, but to be informed, not to enlighten, but to be enlightened.
Until your story teaches you, it won’t have the power to teach others. So let it.
