Ep 81: A Gift of Writing
Last time we talked about our writing as a gift to the world, but our writing can be a gift in a more specific, focused way when we write for individuals we know and love.\n\nWhen our writing is sent out to the world, it's usually enjoyed by one reader at a time, so in a way, all of our writing is for individuals. What I mean here is you can sit down and write for someone in particular\u2014an individual who will be the only intended recipient of a given project.\n\nMaybe you write a long letter to a family member, or you compose a children\u2019s story for your child or grandchildren, or you write a love poem to your significant other. You might write a note to a soldier stationed in another country, a person in prison, or a sponsored child.\n\nOne project, for one person.\n\nThis is where writing is personal. Sure, the projects we send to publishers are important, offering the potential to reach into circles we might never have connected with on our own, carrying our message far and wide.\n\nAnd yet the people who have been part of our lives all along, the people who like your posts on Facebook and look for your letters in the mailbox\u2014the person you'd send a sympathy card to? Those people treasure your words. If you write a gift of words specifically for and to them, you're sending a powerful present.\n\nIt\u2019s likely your gift of words will be held closer than any book you may write in the future\xa0because the book is for many, whereas the gift of words you crafted is a present for that one person alone.\n\nAnne Lamott explains in Bird by Bird how she wrote "books that began as presents.\u201d In her case, they were initially a project for one person and did end up being much more\u2014they were published as books for anyone who might enjoy them. But when she initially sat down to create, she had one reader\u2014one recipient\u2014in mind.\n\nOne book was a present to her father and the other, to her best friend, Pammy. Both were people Anne loved; both were people who were going to die (185). Motivated by love and a sense of urgency, she wrote a present for each of them. She explains:\nI got to write books about my father and my best friend, and they got to read them before they died. Can you imagine? I wrote for an audience of two whom I loved and respected, who loved and respected me. So I wrote for them as carefully and soulfully as I could\u2014which is, needless to say, how I wish I could write all the time. (194)\n\n\nWe can work on our platform and stick our deadlines when we write on assignment, but when we write for someone we love and respect\u2014when we write out of love\u2014we are giving an inimitable gift.\n\nStay on track with your professional goals. And if you feel inspired, write someone a present. But whatever you do, as much as possible, write as carefully and soulfully as you can.\n\nIsn\u2019t that how we wish we could write all the time?\n\n\n\nClick on the podcast player above or use subscription options below to listen to the full episode.\nResources:\n\n \tWhat Do Writers Dream About?\n \tEp 80: Your Writing as a Gift\n \tYour Writing Platform episode collection\n \tBird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott (affiliate link)\n\n* * *\nYou can subscribe with iTunes,\xa0where I'd love to have you subscribe, rate, and leave a review.\n\nThe podcast is also available\xa0Stitcher,\xa0and you should be able to search for and find "Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach" in any podcast player.\n\n____________________\nWriting is solitary work\u2014but why not include others in aspects of the writing process?\nJoin the Group Coaching Winter Session\nI'm facilitating a five-week group coaching opportunity for nonfiction writers. Starts January 7\n(cart closes on January 5 or when ten people have signed up)\nLearn more at this link: Winter 2017 Group Coaching