Be Courageous!
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and
the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Sylvia Plath.
Strong words, but don’t shrink from the notion that you are truly a writer. Let’s take a closer
look at what Plath said.
“Everything is life is writable”.
Do you jot notes to friends or relatives? Do you compose orderly shopping lists? Have you typed
a letter to complain to a company or ask for something? Ever commented on a blog post or
media article? Written an essay, a eulogy, a thank-you note or letter to the editor? If the answer
is ‘yes’ then you, my friend, are a writer.
The very first time you picked up a pencil and copied what the teacher printed on the board that
took ‘guts’. That’s when you began your journey to becoming a writer. It was scary, but do-able.
“The imagination to improvise”...Remember writing ‘compositions’? You shared stories about
your summer vacation or your new puppy. Did you critique your ideas or the words you wrote? I
doubt it.
You sat for a while before that blank lined notebook paper, thought for a while as you nibbled
the end of your pencil, then began to scribble one line followed by another. You left a blank line
and started the second paragraph. Another blank line and the third paragraph unspooled.
Shifting ideas from brain to fingers to paper wasn’t so difficult, was it? You’ve got the skill. The
challenge is to apply it.
Sylvia hit the nail on the head when she said: “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
When you write an email or a Facebook post, do you second-guess yourself (beyond making sure
that the spelling and grammar are correct)? Probably not. You’re being creative without
struggling, stringing words together so they make sense to whoever reads them. In other words,
you’re a writer. You are putting yourself ‘out there’ without over-thinking. That’s the key – start
with an idea and pile words like bricks to build the walls of your unique story. Just as
constructing a strong building takes practice, building a good story can be learned.
As children, we were more fearless, imaginative and open-minded. As we grew older we got
busier, less inspired, more critical and less willing to put ourselves ‘out there’. You have a ‘voice’.
Writing is one means of having your voice heard.
Can you imagine going through life without communicating? No words, no sounds, no facial
expression, no hand movements? Writing – no matter what the form - is communication. It’s a
conversation with a reader, a form of expression.
Get yourself a new notebook. Find a pen that feels comfortable between your fingers. Flip to
page 8 of today’s newspaper and select a sentence. Using that sentence, write a poem or a fifty
word story. Read it slowly. Revise. Admire.
