Chapter 4
She writes: Her story
True writing is from the soul. Writing is more than what you just do, it is what you are, and you will become what you write.
Writing is not what some people actually think it is. There are a lot of thoughts that have been derived by people about writing.
Some people think that writing is about that great idea or concept with a great book, a great editor, a great proposal, or a great agent.
Writing is actually more than that, if you come to where I write unannounced and see me writing or see the conditions around me, you would probably want to instantly change your mind about writing.
I believe that writing is more than all these elements, but at the same time, I also believe that all these elements are also very important for a great writer.
A great writer definitely needs a great idea, a great book, and a great book proposal with an editor or an agent. A great writer also needs a great platform for that great book.
How then do you know if you have written a great book? What is your definition of a great book? What does writing a great book mean to you?
Be aware that, what a great book means to you might not look like a great book to another person. Writing is not just an experience, it is a relationship, and you need to be emotionally prepared to write and embrace all that is associated with writing.
To be emotionally prepared does not apply to writing alone. In whatever you do in life, you have to be emotionally prepared to do it with excellence.
There has to be something that strengthens your inner mind to do that thing exceptionally well. People fail in life, not because they do not know what they are doing, but because they are emotionally unstable and lack the ability to keep doing what they love doing, so they give up easily or will not try to be better at what they do.
Your emotional preparation is what will open your eyes to what people need and to how you can help answer some of their questions that have been left unanswered for a while.
The only reason why you can have an answer to another person’s question is if you have personally had to answer the same or similar question.
Life is real and people need real answers, you cannot fake what you do not have. If you look around you, people who have been spiritually or emotionally abused and have overcome such times are usually the best at counseling in that area.
It is because they have been there before, they know how it feels and they know what it takes to be a survivor. Also, as another example, people who have been in a marriage crisis or financial crisis know what it feels like to be in that position.
In the same way, they know what it takes to overcome such life obstacles and are in the best position to counsel or write about it to others who need a guide to overcome such obstacles.
All that you teach in life is all that you have come to know, not based on your experiences only but based on your relationships.
Writing may be painful, and it may also be a healing process for you, depending on how open you are to writing.
Writing will open your eyes to the things that you know about yourself, and to the things that you do not know about yourself.
This may require a change process before you can embark on the intimate journey of writing.
Your journey in writing will be sometimes physically or emotionally demanding, but always rewarding in the end, and being open and nonjudgmental about your writing processes is the way to go about writing.
Why would you love writing, and why would you love that new creative skill of yours? It is because the creative process builds new neural pathways in the brain, and in the heart.
Scientists have now discovered that we have a second brain in the heart. Over forty thousand neurons play a role in our creative and intuitive processes, and when you begin to write or do something new or creative, you literally begin to tap into a new connection by these new neural pathways.
This will make you begin to think differently, write differently and act differently, making you an entirely changed person. Writing brings about change in your life and in the lives of those that connect with your type of writing.
You are more than just a writer, writing is a tool that helps you get the treasures that exist inside of you out there in the world.
In that case, just write what you want to write just the way you like it and in a way that you like to convey your messages.
If you never answer your call to write, you might miss out. Sometimes it is not just writing, there are other engagements attached to writing, like charity work, travel, speaking, teaching, and counseling.
Writing might not be the exact destination, but it does open doors of opportunities, and if you say no to writing, you are indirectly saying no to the many benefits that are attached to writing.
Quality writing can take a long time but if you do not start and make mistakes in the early stages of your writing, you may never learn and you may never pick up on the things that you need to correct.
If you don’t make a mistake, you may never learn from it, if you do not correct your mistakes, you may never know it, if you do not know it, you may never teach it, and you may never be able to write it. So, take a risk, write it all out, make mistakes and learn from themthem.
© 2021 Titilope Iyowu