Your Writing Is Important!

 

Unless it’s important, it won’t get done. That’s a fundamental function of human nature.

 

So why is writing important to you?

 

Judy Reeves in Writing Alone, Writing Together sums it up like this, “…we are writers and when we aren’t being fully and wholly ourselves—when a piece of ourselves is missing—we can never feel at home in the world or at peace within ourselves. Writing is who we are. Not all of who we are, but enough of who we are that when we’re not writing, we’re not whole.”  

 

In her article in Psychology Today (“Right Here, Write Now," Nov/Dec 2001) Susan Perry lists a host of reasons why writing is a healthy endeavor to pursue. Among them:

 

• Writing can have a huge effect on one's sense of well-being. People who write convert their life experiences, no matter how painful, into stories that can help the writers make sense of them.

• Writing is a good way to leave behind a more accurate record of your life.

• Writing can help provide a purpose in difficult experiences. The process allows you to reach out and share those experiences with others.

• Writing about important life matters may make it easier for you to access your memories.

• New evidence shows the health value—both psychological and physiological—of forming coherent stories out of the chaotic elements of your personal history.

• It has been reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that writing about stressful life experiences had a beneficial effect on chronic symptoms. In the quoted study the patients had asthma or rheumatoid arthritis.

You need to have well in mind why you want to write, and then be convinced that your reasons are significant. Then you will treat writing with the respect that you would give any other weighty endeavor in your life.

 

Until it’s important for you, your writing can’t be important to anyone else. So often we hear the complaint, “My family just doesn’t take my writing seriously!” It begs the question, “But do you?” If you do, the pessimism of others has less impact.

 

You won’t be shy about making time for something important. Let’s face it, a visit to the doctor is seldom convenient, but when we need to go, we give up other things out of necessity.

 

We have 24 hours in a day. That translates to 1440 minutes a day, or 10,080 minutes a week. Let’s say you elect to write three days a week, for ten minutes at a time. That’s 30 minutes of writing time. You’re aiming to spend 3/1008ths of the entire week on yourself and something you love to do.

 

Now imagine yourself at the family dinner table and your Aunt Zephyr has come to visit, bringing a huge, homemade pecan pie for dessert. “Aunt Zephyr,” you say, “what a lovely pie! And it smells delicious. May I have 3/1008ths of it?”

 

“You stingy, selfish thing!” she replies. “You want that much!? What about all the other people who want pie?”

 

Who’s really being unfair—you or Aunt Zephyr?

 

Ten minutes three times a week may be seem too short, and you may want to do much more than that. But remember, it’s easier on everyone if you start slowly. For yourself, it’s an easy goal that your inner critic is not as likely to balk over. For your family—give them the pie illustration and help them see that ten minutes isn’t really that long. Set your boundaries, do your writing, and then reward everyone by doing something fun together afterward.

 

Cumulatively, you will see results. You’ll feel better. It’s difficult to nourish others if we ourselves are depleted. Writing fills the well. Both you and your family will come to love the effects of your “selfish time” so much that when it’s time to stretch that ten-minutes into something longer, everyone will be enthusiastic about it. And if they aren’t—well, that’s something you’ve handled before. You can do it again.

 

Your Assignment 

 

Set your timer for ten minutes and start with: “Writing is important to me because…” Don’t let your pen stop. If you can’t think of what to write next, re-write the initial phrase and start continue from there.

 

Fun Stuff

 

Here are three helpers for you.

 

Rectangle – Do Not Disturb Sign for your door.

 

Stop Sign – Do Not Disturb Sign (Cut along the lines in the center to slip it over your doorknob during your writing session.)

 

Stop Sign Reminder – Print several and hand them out when it’s time to write

 

©2003Dekat

 

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©2004 Carolyn Dekat
Last Modified: April 1, 2004