Answering the Call to Write

Exercise #381 Embracing Your Writing Destiny and Turning Pro

Strategy:

Every writer will find themselves standing at a crossroads, one path well-worn and comfortable, the other challenging but rich with possibility. The amateur writer often lingers at this junction, while the professional boldly strides down the demanding path. This exercise invites you to confront the fears, habits, and self-imposed limitations that may be holding you back from fully embracing your calling as a writer. By examining your relationship with writing—both the act itself and the avoidance of it—you'll gain insights into your true motivations, ambitions, and the unique voice you bring to the page. Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and answer the call of your highest creative self?

Learning Objectives:

• Identify personal barriers to fully committing to one's writing practice

• Analyze the psychological and emotional aspects of creative avoidance

• Develop strategies for overcoming resistance and embracing the challenges of writing

• Articulate personal writing goals and ambitions with greater clarity

• Create an action plan for transitioning from amateur to professional mindset in writing

Instructions:

1. Define Your Calling: Reflect deeply on what writing means to you. What drives you to put words on the page? Write a paragraph describing your sense of purpose or calling as a writer. Be as specific and honest as possible about what you hope to achieve or express through your work.

2. Identify Your "Addictions": List the activities, habits, or distractions that you often engage in instead of writing. These could be obvious time-wasters like social media scrolling, or more subtle forms of procrastination like excessive research or reorganizing your workspace. For each item, note how it makes you feel in the moment and afterwards.

3. Effort Analysis: Compare the effort you put into writing with the effort you expend avoiding it. Write two short paragraphs: one describing the mental, emotional, and physical energy you invest in your writing practice, and another detailing the energy you spend on avoidance tactics. Which feels more draining? Which feels more rewarding?

4. Risk Assessment: Create a two-column list. In the first column, write down what you risk by sharing your writing with the world (e.g., criticism, vulnerability, failure). In the second column, list what you risk by not writing (e.g., unfulfilled potential, regret, loss of voice). Reflect on which set of risks feels more significant to you and why.

5. The Exposed Self: Write a brief character sketch of the version of yourself that emerges through your writing. What aspects of your personality, beliefs, or experiences do you reveal? Now, write a contrasting sketch of the self you project when you avoid writing. How do these two versions of you differ?

6. Rekindling Ambition: Close your eyes and visualize your ideal writing life. What does success look like to you? What impact do you want your words to have? Write a passionate, present-tense paragraph describing this vision as if it's already reality. Then, list three concrete actions you can take this week to move closer to this vision.

Tags: professional writing, creative calling, overcoming resistance, writer's mindset, goal-setting, creative ambition, self-reflection

Example:

1. Define Your Calling: My calling as a writer is to explore the ethical implications of emerging technologies through compelling narratives. I feel driven to create stories that not only entertain but also provoke thought about our relationship with technology and its impact on society. Through my writing, I hope to inspire readers to consider the long-term consequences of our current technological trajectory and imagine alternative futures.

2. Identify Your "Addictions":

   • Endlessly scrolling tech news sites (feels informative in the moment, but leaves me drained and overwhelmed)

   • Tinkering with my novel's outline (feels productive, but often leads to analysis paralysis)

   • Binge-watching sci-fi shows (momentarily satisfying, but ultimately leaves me feeling guilty and unproductive)

   • Over-committing to work projects (feels responsible, but depletes energy for writing)

3. Effort Analysis:
   Writing Effort: When I sit down to write, it requires intense focus and mental energy. I often struggle with self-doubt and the pressure to create something meaningful. However, once I push through the initial resistance, I enter a flow state that, while challenging, feels deeply rewarding and energizing.

   Avoidance Effort: Avoiding writing involves constant mental gymnastics – making excuses, rationalizing procrastination, and dealing with the resulting guilt and anxiety. This cycle is exhausting and leaves me feeling drained and dissatisfied, often more so than the actual act of writing.

4. Risk Assessment:
   Risks of Sharing Writing:

   • Criticism of my ideas or writing style

   • Revealing personal beliefs and vulnerabilities

   • Professional reputation impact if poorly received

   • Financial investment with uncertain return

   Risks of Not Writing:

   • Unfulfilled creative potential

   • Loss of unique voice and perspective in sci-fi discourse

   • Regret over unfinished projects

   • Stagnation in writing skills and career

   Reflection: The risks of not writing feel more significant. While sharing my work is scary, the thought of never fully expressing my ideas or reaching my potential as a writer is far more daunting.

5. The Exposed Self:
   Writing Self: Through my writing, I reveal a deeply thoughtful and slightly pessimistic persona. This version of me is intensely curious about the future, ethically minded, and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about technology. There's a vulnerability in exposing my concerns about where society is heading.

   Avoiding Self: When I avoid writing, I project a more complacent, less engaged version of myself. This self is content to consume rather than create, to follow trends rather than question them. There's a sense of unfulfilled potential and a nagging feeling of inauthenticity.

6. Rekindling Ambition:
   Vision: I am a respected voice in science fiction, known for thought-provoking novels that blend cutting-edge tech concepts with deep human insight. My latest book has sparked important conversations about AI ethics in mainstream media. I write full-time from my home office, balancing focused writing sessions with research and engaging with a community of fellow sci-fi authors and readers. My work has inspired a new generation of technologists to approach innovation with greater ethical consideration.

   Three actions to take this week:

   1. Set a daily writing goal of 500 words, no matter how rough, to be completed before checking any tech news.

   2. Reach out to two other sci-fi authors to form a weekly accountability group.

   3. Create a detailed timeline for completing my novel draft, breaking it down into manageable weekly goals.