How can you make your writing more you?

Because in this world it's so easy to be not you.

writing Question

Photo by Jeffrey James Pacres

When you write, you can be envious

If I imitate other writers I admire, maybe then people will want to read my writing.

You can feel boring

If my writing truly reflected who I am, no one would want to read it.

You can feel shame

 If I wrote how I really feel, people would think I'm psycho/dangerous/needy/selfish/weird, and they would avoid or even exclude me.

You can feel egotistical

I only write perfect pieces of sheer genius. It would be beneath me to write something less than perfect.

You can be lazy

It's not worth it to fully put all of myself into my writing.

You can be selfish

They're not worth it to fully put all of myself into my writing.

When You Write, Ask Yourself…

How can you make what you're writing more you?

You may be writing a novel or a blog post or even an essay for school. It doesn't matter what you're writing. It matters how you're writing.

How can you put more of your personal weird/selfish/needy/dangerous/psycho self into your writing?

How can you write something that emanates your soul?

Here's Why This Matters

If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men—you may make some money and you may give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world, for a little while. If you write for yourself, you can read what you yourself have written and after ten minutes you will be so disgusted that you will wish that you were dead.
—Thomas Merton

You don't ask this question for yourself. That's the road to narcissism.

You don't even ask this question for your readers. Yes, you're writing will be better and more interesting if you put more of your unique personality into it. However, that's not why you do it.

The reason you write to express your unique personality is because when we fully express ourselves, we share something holy with the world, an offering, of sorts.

“God made me fast,” says Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire. “And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”

When you write, it can be more than just capturing your thoughts for posterity's sake. It can be more than an attempt to entertain others.

Your writing can connect you to something greater, bigger. However, you can't get there if you're not honest.

So, how can your writing be more you today?

Do you ever feel like your not being truly yourself when you write? Why do you think that is?

PRACTICE

Spend fifteen minutes free writing today. Give your writing as much you as you can.

When your time is up, share your practice with the community in the comments section.

Happy writing!

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris, a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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