Writers First Aid

Calling All Writers!

December 27, 2010

Are you called? Do you feel that your writing–in whatever form–is a calling for you? Or does it feel more like a self-indulgence (especially if it’s not paying the bills or it takes time from your family)?

Over the years, my Institute students have asked how they could tell if they were really meant to write. I’ve struggled with this myself, vacillating between knowing it was what I was meant to do with my life and wondering if it was simply my escape. (Someone once told me that I wrote fiction because I couldn’t deal with real life. That didn’t help my dilemma!)

It’s an important question. There are only so many hours in the day–and so many years in your life. How can you know if writing is meant to be your life–or you should look elsewhere?

How Can You Know?

The other day I read something that was very helpful in sorting through this question. I wish I’d read it years ago. It was in a book of stories about writers called Behind the Stories by Diane Eble. See if this helps you decide:

Perhaps this is the hallmark of a calling: this sense that you are meant to do something, the restlessness that comes when you don’t do it, the deep satisfaction you feel when you do it–whatever “it” is. How do you find “it”? Ask yourself, “What is it I have loved doing, what has given me that sense of satisfaction? What would I do if I had two days to do whatever I wanted? What do I tend to gravitate toward and make time for? What do I feel passionate about? What have I always dreamed of doing? These questions may begin to uncover that thing you do, or would like to do, that is your gift and perhaps your calling.

Called to What?

If you answered “writing” to the questions above, you may still wonder what kind of writing is your calling. Try asking yourself the same questions again to find the kind of writing you’d enjoy the most.

What kind of writing gives you the most satisfaction? (Instructing mothers on how to enjoy motherhood? Telling bedtime stories to toddlers? Writing adult thrillers with a bit of romance?) What do you make time for? What do you gravitate toward in the library and bookstore? What do you love to read? (That’s always a good clue.)

How about you? Do you feel called to write–or is it a hobby that you can lay down for months at a time and not miss it? If it’s a calling, how does that decision impact how you live the rest of your life?

Post tags: psychology of writing, writing

Posted in: psychology of writing,writing | | Comments (6)

6 Comments »

Good call, Kristi. I’ll also add, that if it makes you feel a little bit more holy, then it is something you’re meant to do. Every time I think of quitting, a little voice (not my own, I might add) tells me to persevere and not give up, because I am called to write, just like I am called to be a wife and mother.

Comment by Vijaya — December 27, 2010 @ 6:53 pm
Vijaya, that “still small voice” is one to listen to! We too often discount it. Some call it a feeling in their gut, or “my heart is telling me,” but it should not be discounted. Too often it feels like a selfish decision, so we assume it’s “just me.”

Comment by Kristi Holl — December 27, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
I wrote stories as a kid. I won awards for a few of ‘em. *blush* I read constantly – then and now. I always wanted to be a teacher, but that didn’t pan out, due to a stupid decision on my part. I’m in my mid-30s now, I think I’ve figured things out for the most part and am no longer concerned with what others think I *should* be doing (ie the 9-to-5, good-salary-great-benefits career – BTDT, not satisfying) and will concentrate on what my gut (in conference with my husband) thinks I should do. I didn’t quit a job to write – I quit my job to raise my son – and as far as that impacts the rest of my life, well, I think that remains to be seen, since I’ve just started.

Comment by Yvette — December 27, 2010 @ 9:08 pm
Yvette, my hat goes off to you!!! I applaud you for not listening to what “they say” you should want and do. Society is nuts half the time. Staying home to raise children is almost counter-cultural now, but I have seen the benefits with my own kids and now my two daughters’ children as they quit careers to be home to raise their children. I’m glad you husband supports you. And who knows where the time away from a 9-to-5 job might lead in your writing?!?!

Comment by Kristi Holl — December 27, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
Thank you, Kristi. These two questions are the ones I’ve been asking myself lately. I’ve been too wrapped up in end-of-the-season doings to figure out the answers, though. Thank you for the encouragement to settle myself down and get some serious thinking done today.

Comment by Heather — December 28, 2010 @ 7:42 am
Heather, hopefully things will calm down enough during or after the holidays to give you some think time. I always have lots of think time when taking down the tree and putting away decorations. NOBODY bothers me then! Ha ha. Think with your heart and not just your head–when you get the time.

Comment by Kristi Holl — December 29, 2010 @ 8:02 am