The myth of "Good Writing"
There will always be a really valid reason for not writing—a new job, a new baby, emails, health problems, depression. The secret is that you must still find a way to write your life down. You must love your life enough to give it shape and memory. Like any instinct, trust that the urge to write is here to help you survive.
Sometimes writing feels natural and euphoric. Most of the time, it feels like hurdling yourself up the side of Saint Helens, ankle deep in volcanic ash, treading sticky soot.
To be successful, you must let go of the notion that Good Writing is something that happens to Other People—those magical humans who are somehow less busy or more disciplined or generally sexier than you.
Furthermore, the writer’s studio in the woods, awash with sunlight and robin song, doesn’t exist. Or if it does, you probably wouldn’t write there. You’d nap or make love or birdwatch. And you should, because you don’t need a tranquil cottage amid the pines in order to write seriously.
My best writing arrives in the heavy pink of morning—7 minutes before my alarm sounds, or when I’m dashing off quick lines between Zoom calls, or as I’m pulled over on the side of Highway 405 filling my notes app with a sudden thought I’ll decide is stupid 3 miles later.
The bone-dumb truth is that writing rarely ever comes easily or all at once. You don’t sit down one day and write a whole book. And if you wait for a magic time when writing feels easy, you’ll wait forever. No one can define a writing practice for you or want your book more than you do. Find a way to get your words out—even if they’re messy. Let your writing come in bursts and gasps, fits, starts, snippets and hiccups. Then, collect the scraps.
Looking for inspiration as you dive into writing? My online writing community, Sustenance, is open for enrollment. Monthly membership includes Office Hours with me, craft talks, and guest speaker workshops. This month, we have poet Maggie Smith joining us on May 18th. I’m also teaching a special workshop on how to beat cliches later in May. Join Sustenance here.
Here’s what a couple Sustenance members said recently:
“I am astounded at the amount of writing I’ve done as a member of Sustenance, and at how much stronger each piece has become after sharing it with the community & incorporating their feedback. It truly has been SO nourishing.”
“I love working with this community. Each day I feel inspired, supported and motivated. This beautiful group give you the courage to explore and adventure private pieces out into the world.”
“I joined Sustenance to have a safe spot to work on writing and editing before I jumped into workshops and classes. This was so much more than I expected. My process of writing is so much easier and more fluid now.”
thanks for sharing this Joy! This is what I needed to hear this afternoon
I was a member of Substance for about a month earlier in the year and absolutely loved it. But was cutting out subscriptions due to finances/ trying to save up some extra cash for a big transition into writing full time come this fall. But I do miss checking it everyday! It was a lovely community and I look forward to enjoying it again. You really do a lovely job of inspiring others.
Who needed to hear this? Me!! Thanks for this :)