The Writers Identity: Exploring the Writer Within

Les Edgerton writes in his book, Finding Your Voice, that the best way to find your voice is to write autobiographically. "Writers will never find a powerful, evocative voice until they learn to be bone-deep honest with themselves, open and vulnerable." I believe that Mr. Edgerton is on to something. In my experience, the best writers are the ones who dig deep within themselves and pull out the rawest pieces of who they are, filling their pages with words that leave their audiences wanting more. If I could interview an author whom I admire, I would most want to know what helped him or her get to that magical place.

My interest in how writers express their individuality began after I completed my training as a coach. I thought carefully about the kind of clients with whom I most wanted to work. I knew that I would be most fulfilled working with writers due to my passion for the written word. It became important to me to work with writers who needed assistance expressing their creativity and exploring what they most wanted to contribute through their writing. However, my experience as a therapist taught me that this couldn't be accomplished without building a trusting relationship with my writer clients, accepting and identifying with their vulnerabilities, and gently taking them on a journey through self-discovery.

It's not news that people are shaped by their environment, life experiences, and values, and that their uniqueness is expressed in almost everything they do. What is fascinating to me as a therapist and coach is how people express their individuality. What sets one person apart from another? How do writers' experiences shape them? In my coaching practice, I help writers through the process of self-exploration by getting answers to the following questions:

*What is present when you are at your best?

*What are your strengths?

*What are you passionate about?

*What can you not live without?

*What are your values and what do they say about who you are?

*What do you want more of?

Furthermore, writers must be aware of their limitations, to learn what their weaknesses are so they can begin the process of moving from a place of stagnation to success. To clarify writers' limitations, a good exercise is to list any fears, problems, and resentments connected with their writing projects. Some examples of self-exploratory questions that can assist with this process are:

*What habits hinder your creativity?

*When do you resist writing?

*Where are you too comfortable?

*Where is the place you don't want to go?

*What are you tolerating?

*What do you want less of?

I ask writers to remember why they choose to write and to think about what they want to create with their writing. To explore this issue even further, I pose the following questions:

*What successes must you draw from to keep going?

*How can you take your failures and turn them into lessons to be learned?

*How can your losses serve you?

*What contribution do you want to make?

*What helps you to enjoy the process and to allow your project take shape in its own time?

*What do you need to sustain your momentum?

I come from a long line of wordsmiths including writers, editors, and English majors. My mother lavished my sister and me with writers such as Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, and C.S Lewis. I was in awe of how mere words on a page could stir up my imagination, the visuals in my head entrancing me and drawing me into the character's world. The only word to describe it was magical. How I longed to have such a gift, to be able to tell a story that left the reader mesmerized. I think every writer dreams of doing that.

What is so unique about these famous children's authors? What attracts readers to their stories? They had the talent to develop and express unique voices. They trusted their intuition and courageously painted the pages with their deepest selves. This is the formula that readers are drawn to, the authenticity of a writer's work. When the writer takes the reader by the hand and pulls her or him into the page, as if to say, "Come now, take a look at the way I view my world," it becomes an intimate experience. The author and the reader become as one.

Lisa Collazo, LCSW, Copyright 2005 -All Rights Reserved

Writer's coach Lisa Collazo believes it is through self- discovery that one taps the resources to write freely and express their true voice. She assists writers with the internal barriers that keep them from writing successfully and helps create and implement strategies to move them forward with their writing goals. Her clients include screenwriters, non-fiction writers, fiction writers and dissertation students.

Contact Lisa for a complimentary coaching call at: Lisa@writewhatyouknow.com or visit her website: http://www.writewhatyouknow.com and sign up for her free monthly newsletter.

---

A Plan

All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected.... Read More

Know Your Editing Choices

Each author has special editing needs. To save yourself time... Read More

10 Best Writers Who Ever Lived

Compiling a list of the history's ten best writers is... Read More

What You May Not Learn In College... (Part Two)

If you become a writer for any publication, private business,... Read More

What Does It Take To Make Your Memories Into Publishable Memoirs?

Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal... Read More

Tips For Better Writing

It is certainly true that we don't get a second... Read More

Top Ten Reasons Its Great To Be A Writer

10 - You will always have a job. As long... Read More

Tips for First Time Authors : 2 Easy Steps to Make Your First Book a Success

Congratulations on writing your first book. That is quite an... Read More

Overcoming Writers Block

Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending... Read More

Voice in Narrative and Dialogue - A Contrast of Writing Styles

One of the nice things about being an author is... Read More

Is Someone Plagiarizing Your Work?

About two weeks ago I received an article submissionthat immediately... Read More

A Writers Life

Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More

Focusing Your Reading and Finding Ideas

Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More

Dreading the Writing Assignment? Outlines to the Rescue

Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More

Nonfiction Idea Generators

The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject... Read More

Get Published: The Nuts and Bolts of English, and How to Impress a Publisher (2)

The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More

Screenwriting ? The Value of Structure

Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More

Top Seven Ways to Write your Print or eBook Fast

Want to write your book? But, need a blueprint on... Read More

Celebrating Writing and Life

Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More

Freelance Writing: How Many Regular Clients Should You Have?

This is a tough question for every freelance writer. For... Read More

6 Ways to Leverage Technical Articles

Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More

The Hard Facts About Editing

Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More

The Arrogant Writer: Five Ways To Nurture and Defend Your Muse

Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people... Read More

Publisher Ethics For Reprint-able Articles

Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:If you are an ezine publisher or... Read More

Mumblings

The self-indulgent writer listens only to the mumblings of sycophants,... Read More

Writer School?

Here's something from my mailbag. "Dear Michael, do you need... Read More

Break in with Fillers: The Best Market for New Writers

Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new... Read More

Starting a Local Writers Group

My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More

Writing from Home: It Can Be Great and Not-So-Great for Mothers

I went to school to be a teacher. In fact,... Read More

7 Steps to Successful Publishing

The decision to publish a book is very exciting! It... Read More

Be Concise

Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It's the... Read More

Writing Made Them Rich #1: JK Rowling

Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury,England in 1965.... Read More

Does Your Theme Contain Character, Conflict, Resolution?

Creative Writing Tips ?For a theme to work and the... Read More