The Unexpected Gift of Writing Fiction to Heal
I just finished a Deep Dive Case Study on my novel, Until They Burn for my Writing Fiction to Heal Workshop & Community and it was through that process that I uncovered another beautiful gift.
In order to show the connections between my real life and the fictional world I built, I had to re-read and analyze the story and the massive amounts of notes I took while writing it. What this did was highlight so many layers of growth. Not just from “before writing” to “after writing,” but also from when I finished that novel to where I’m at today, in the present.
Let me back up and explain something though. So much about writing in my life has been instinctual. I’ve always gone with my gut even when that kept me from achieving other goals I know I could have achieved. I was breaking “rules” before I even knew what they were. I think that’s because writing has always been more about the therapeutic benefits than anything else. Anyway, that’s to say that when I wrote Until They Burn, it was my intention to write to heal, but I really didn’t have a guide or process to follow. I was doing everything by instinct.
But by rereading and analyzing things now, I see that my gut and my instincts were spot-on. I may not have directly known it at the time, but I was doing all the right things to achieve the outcome of writing to heal.
It’s not always easy to see the growth in ourselves, so having tangible evidence to point to specific times in our lives is actually a very powerful and beautiful gift. (This is also why journaling can be such a great tool for healing!).
When I was going through the various notes and the manuscript to pull out examples, I was transported back to the time of writing the novel and in so many ways, this was great because I was able to identify the emotions and areas that I feel I’ve “healed” from but it was a stark reminder that there are still so many layers that I’m still working through. And that’s not a bad thing! In fact, being able to recognize and pull that truth out is exactly why writing can be so powerful.
I’m beyond blessed to have discovered the gift of writing (and writing to heal) so early in my life. But I’m a firm believer that everyone can discover it, too. If you’re sitting there thinking, “Nah, it’s too late for me. I’m too (insert any justification here)” then you, my friend, are wrong. Because it’s never too late to try something new. You’re never too old or too busy or too broken to explore who you are through fiction.
So this is me challenging you, dear reader, to take a risk on yourself. Give it a try and see what happens. If you want guidance, support, and encouragement from other writers who are going through the process, you can join my The Write Minded Community or try out my Writing Fiction to Heal Workshop.
