When the world goes crazy, we write

We all need an outlet these days – a way to escape this wild world we have found ourselves living in – if only for a day, a few hours, a few minutes even. Of course there are the usual suspects: wine, Netflix, social media…more wine, more Netflix, and more social media.

Whatever your particular escape may be, ask yourself this: Is this escape route I have chosen actually helping me to release all of the pent-up frustration, exhaustion, anger, and fear that has built up inside me over the course of 2020?

Be honest with yourself.

If your answer is no, might I suggest another outlet?

Pick up a pen, grab a notebook or a journal, and write that shit down. ALL OF IT.

And if your pen won’t write fast enough, type it out. ALL OF IT.

If we want 2021 to be a better year (and don’t we all want that?), then the year we have just lived through needs to come out of us. All of that energy that has built up and had nowhere to go except to drown itself in the bottom of a wine glass – it needs to be released. Physically. Mentally. Fully and for real. Write it down so that you can understand what you’ve gone through this year, process it, face it, forgive it, and let it go. Write it down so that you can move forward and look toward a brighter future.

For many of us, this year has been about survival. And living in survival mode for a prolonged period is insanely draining and disheartening. BUT, if you look deep enough, you will find the gems. And that’s where the writing comes in. When you start to write down and release all of the pent-up emotions, the ridiculous stories, and the madness that has gone down in your particular corner of quarantine, you will begin to understand something about yourself:

No matter how this year has played out for you, you are strong. You are loved. You are capable. And you have a story to tell. A story that matters. A story that will not only help you to heal and survive, but that will help others to heal and survive, too.

It was Maya Angelou who wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Haven’t you found this to be true? I certainly have. Stories pull at me, push me, prod me, beat me over the freaking head – all day long. They are relentless, and I never feel less myself than when I am not writing.

I know many of you feel the same. You have come to me, telling me you have a story you want to write. An idea for a novel, or perhaps a memoir. You’re not sure if you should tell the true story, or mask the truth in fiction. Either way, the story is there, sitting over your shoulder, waiting for you to get the courage to write it down.

And guess what, that story is NOT going away. Because it’s yours. And YOU are the one to write it.

So cork up the wine, turn off the Netflix, stop scrolling through the madness of social media, and honor the part of you that needs to be released through the gift of writing.

If you need help along the way, I’m teaching a 6-week motivational “Kickstart Your Writing” course with the Paris Writing Salon. We’ll be meeting on Zoom every Monday from November 9th – December 14th, and writers at any stage of the game are welcome and encouraged to join. I would absolutely love to see you there.

What is the Paris Writing Salon? An amazing and supportive online writing community designed to help you get writing, get published, and get more readers. With a monthly or annual membership, you will have access to writing workshops taught by bestselling authors, exciting author chats, and regular writing sprints. You can join anytime, and if you a miss a session, no problem. Everything is recorded and available online.

We’re offering my MasterClass to members of the Paris Writing Salon as part of our launch—a $297 value for just the price of 2 month’s membership. It’s a steal.

So if you need a kick in the pants, join the Paris Writing Salon, and let’s write while the world goes crazy.