The Empowered Writer Path: An Introduction

In this article, I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart. It's what I call “The Empowered Writer Path.”

Throughout my studies, research, and experience — I’ve come to find that writers usually oscillate between four stages. And we almost never go through the stages in a linear way. They also happen to coincide with tarot cards and the hero’s journey archetypes, as well as the three A’s in trauma recovery coaching. What I love about this path is that it never ends. We don’t just stop at the end of the path, we continue cycling through the various stages. As a life-long learner — this is actually really exciting because it means we’re never done learning, healing, doing, or being. We are always in motion.

I’ve been thinking a lot about empowered writing lately as I just finished my 6-Week Writing Fiction to Heal workshop with students and am now entering into a different kind of writing program where many of the writers are new or just beginning. As a veteran writer, I actually envy them. Those beginning stages are where possibilities and opportunities blossom and when you don’t know what you don’t know, you may muddle through, but it’s with this very specific kind of rose-colored glasses that actually allows you to push through the challenges many writers have once they have learned more.

This article is an introduction to the stages, but I will be writing deep dives into each of the stages. For now, sit back and enjoy this brief intro.

The 4 Stages of The Empowered Writer Path

Learning

(In Tarot = 0 - The Fool, The Aces)

(In TRC = Awareness)

The learning stage of writing is a place we find ourselves at many, many times in life. It is the beginning of a cycle, a season, a skill. It is in our awareness of what we need or want to learn that we begin to ascend to a higher understanding of what writing means to us, individually and collectively. It is also in this stage that we learn or become aware of what we don’t know or what has held us back in the past.

In Tarot, The Fool is a perfect archetype for this stage. Typically we see someone on the edge of a cliff, one foot hanging in the air as if they may jump. The Fool energy is that of someone who is beginning their journey, resolute in jumping into the journey, but hesitant about the unknown. The Aces of each suit are also lovely metaphors as they represent that blossoming desire to go full steam ahead.

In Trauma Recovery Coaching, this is the stage where we begin to become aware of what has happened to us and how that’s led to where we are now. Becoming aware of something we previously hadn’t connected the dots on is life-changing because when we know something, we can decide what we want to do with that information.

Healing

(In Tarot = Suit of Cups and Swords)

(In TRC = Acceptance)

The healing stage of writing is a beautifully messy place to be. It’s often the darkest, most painful of the stages, but it’s incredibly necessary in order to grow and accept who we are as human beings. As we learn to accept and embrace all parts of us, we come to terms with what it is that is calling us to write. This truly is a magical stage.

In Tarot, the suit of Cups and Swords primarily centers around archetypes of grief, heartache, trauma, and healing. These suits are empowering because while they acknowledge the “hard stuff” in life, they are also empowering. They offer a sense of comfort and security that we all will deal with hardships, but through awareness and acceptance, we can move into resiliency and growth.

In Trauma Recovery Coaching, the acceptance stage is one of the hardest places to be in. In this stage, we have to honor the truth of our traumas, our pasts, and our experiences. It’s so much easier to deny or ignore the “bad stuff” that happens but we are empowering ourselves when we accept that what has happened… has happened. It’s within this acceptance that we can fully move into taking the action necessary to further heal.

Doing

(In Tarot = Suit of Wands and Pentacles)

(In TRC = Action)

Maybe the least “sexy” of all the stages, the doing stage is all about action. The actual “work” of writing empowerment. This often looks like a daily creative practice (maybe journaling, morning pages, painting, etc.). This stage can feel quite mundane but make no mistake — it’s within the Doing that you end up at Being.

In Tarot, the suit of wands and pentacles speaks more to the action-oriented paths we take. It’s about creativity and passion, reaping the benefits of our work, and seeing how our choices and decisions manifest in the “material” world.

In Trauma Recovery Coaching, I find the action stage to be the most empowering. After we’ve become aware of our traumas (including intergenerational or familial), and after we accept it — we know that what happens next is up to us. Taking “action” can mean so many different things, too. It can mean taking steps toward healing your wounds. It can mean confronting or addressing those who played a part. It can mean stopping the cycle of abuse that you may not have known was present. The biggest thing to remember about this stage isn’t what you necessarily “do” with it — it’s the fact that you have a voice and choice to decide what it is you even want to do. There’s nothing more empowering than standing in your truth and being able to choose how you want to move forward.

Being

(In Tarot = The Magician, The High Priestess, The World)

(In TRC = Awareness ⭢ Acceptance ⭢ Action)

The being stage is a glorious, wonderful place to be, but it’s also the most abstract as it’s the repeated cycle of Learning, Healing, and Doing. Over and over we enter and leave the Being stage, each time a little more enlightened and a lot more empowered. It’s also within this stage that we recognize the power and value of a community, as well as the natural desire to support other writers.

In Tarot, The Magician, The High Priestess, and The World are hugely powerful archetypes. And though it may seem odd to choose these three to represent the “being” stage — if you examine the commonalities between them, you’ll see that each possesses a bit of mastery. And not in the sense that someone can fully know all the things there are to know — not that kind of mastery. Rather the mastery of seeing the cycles and paths as what they are. The Magician must know how to use the tools set in front of them in order to alchemize it and turn it into something new or better. The High Priestess must trust in their intuition and ability to lead as they grow themselves. And The World is a sign of something coming to an end and something new arising out of that ending. The World card is a statement not that something is “fully completed” but rather, that this particular cycle is ending and it’s time to go back to the beginning as The Fool.

In Trauma Recovery Coaching, this stage is the culmination of all the hard work one has done to get to this point. A lot of my clients and colleagues who reach this point decide to stay in this stage for a while because it’s so damn beautiful. Often, this stage could be considered advocacy. We’ve been through the hard stages and maybe we’ve taken action that put us directly in the space of helping others through their cycle. But we don’t end at this stage, either, in recovery. There’s always another layer to uncover and then the path starts anew.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you a basic idea of what these four stages of being an empowered writer look and feels like. If you are honest with yourself — you may even be connecting the dots to where you’ve landed on the path throughout your life. In the next article, I’ll be doing a deep dive into the Learning stage and what that can look like as an empowered writer.

I frequently use this empower writers path approach with my clients or students and one of the best ways to experience these stages yourself with support and guidance is through my Write Minded Community. The work we do in the community reflects these stages and allows for gentle introspection within a safe environment. You can always try a month for free to see if it’s your jam. We’d love to have you!