The Empowered Writer Path: Doing
In my article, The Empowered Writer Path: An Introduction, I wrote that the doing stage is the least “sexy” of them all. And I stand by that. It doesn’t always look or feel as monumental or as big as the other stages, but that’s what makes it so damn important. Because it’s in the doing stage that we commit to ourselves and our writing practices. It’s within the doing stage that we show up for our writing even when it doesn’t feel good. Even when it doesn’t feel like progress. Even if it feels like we’re just putting stupid words down on a page or simply talking about writing.
But it makes a difference, I promise you.
What is the Doing stage?
To me, the doing stage is like starting any new hobby or practice you want to improve upon. Once you “learn” how to do it, the only way you improve is by actually doing it. Over and over again. So in this doing stage of empowered writing, we’re simply dropping into our practice and showing up for ourselves and our writing, over and over again.
This stage is where we get to put all of ourselves into our practices — the good, bad, and brutiful (brutally beautiful). Some days, the best we can do is show up on the page and write a few words. Other days, the words will seem to flow from us without effort. But the point is that no matter which kind of day it is — we choose to continue to show up for them.
What does the doing stage look like, though?
And the answer is — it can look any way you want it to, so long as you’re showing up for yourself and your writing in an authentic way.
Personally, my doing stage is often deepening and maintaining my daily writing practices. I have two, actually. One for my morning/daily pages (more on that below) and one for all my public-related writirng. And often, the more intentional and consistent I am with my daily writing practice, the more inspired and motivated I feel to drop into my public writing practice.
One of the biggest changes I made to my writing practice in the last year and a half was committing to being consistent. This was an internal way for me to practice the doing of writing in a way that could also help others. My articles, e-zine, blog posts, and short stories — they’re all about me doing the work of writing. Not for others primarily, but for me first.
What I’ve learned by consistently doing this **is that I’m making more progress than I can see in a single session. The doing adds up to make a huge difference! When I look back at my output for last year, I was shocked by how much I wrote and how compelling the pieces still were to me. It taught me that the doing stage is an important part of the cycle, and it has far more benefits for me than I can conceive of. I think that’s true for anyone who commits to doing what their soul asks them to do.
What are some ways to enter the Doing stage?
Consistency
Being consistent with showing up is one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of the doing process. And it can look any way you want it to as long as you are bringing yourself to the page authentically.
This could look like daily journaling (check out Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way for a great introduction to daily pages!)
This could look like mindful sketching complemented with text
This could look like blogging or writing articles
Taking a Chance on Your Work
What better what to show yourself that you’re doing this writing thing than materializing it?
This could look like writing a piece to be submitted somewhere
This could look like sharing something you’ve written with a trusted person
This could look like writing something new or experimental
Being in Community
This one goes for every stage, but it’s particularly potent in the doing stage because so many of us have either been there or are there. When someone else experiences similar highs, lows, struggles, and triumphs — we not only feel connected, we feel as if we’re not alone on this journey.
This could look like joining a writer’s group (more on that in the next section)
This could look like having a writing buddy
This could look like contributing to conversations around writing on forums, Discord servers, etc.
My Resources:
I will shamelessly plug my writing-focused community here not just because I think it’s fabulous but because it is essential to my own doing stage. Having a place to talk about writing, to discuss the struggles or highlights has been highly influential in my prolific writing and dedication to a writing practice. If you want to see what The Write Minded Community is all about, I invite you to join us for a month free.
My Journaling Workbook Bundles are compilations of 100+ prompts in each set. They are guided by themes and include a wide range of topics from self-introspection to creative projects and writing exercises. These are fantastic starting points for healing through writing. Volume One is free for my newsletter subscribers (and clocks in as the largest of the bundles — 200 pages!), so sign up to test it out. You can find all the other workbooks here.
Feel called to share a piece you’ve written? Why not submit it to The Augurly (a monthly e-zine I put out with my co-collaborator, Allie)? You can find the submission page here.
