Take Risks in Writing: Embrace Creativity and Justice

This week I scheduled a September 12 read-around. It begins the 17^th season of the Women’s Writing Circle. Over the years, we have welcomed dozens of new writers in the Circle, a sacred container where women find their voice through writing.

One of the reasons I do this year after year, and now it seems more important than ever, is to bring people together in community.

At a roundtable discussion yesterday in church, the topic was how we offer our gifts to help make the community a better place. One question was: When was the last time you saw someone bring harmony or justice to a situation? This was followed by the next question: When was the last time you brought harmony or justice to a situation?

Some people said they do this simply by listening, not judging, even when what the other person says is personally offensive, usually when it involves politics. It’s safer not to say anything. The priest said that he heard in another group discussion: if you take the risk and say something honestly, even in a family setting, people will listen.

Taking the risk is precisely why I started the Women’s Writing Circle. In the Circle, we empower each other to speak without apology, as reflected in our writing and our stories.

So as this new season begins, whether you belong to a writing group or not, I think we can go in any direction we like. Ralph Waldo Emerson warned against over-caution, advising people not to be “too timid and squeamish about your actions.” Life, after all, is an experiment, he noted.

For the novelist, making up scenes, characters, and situations is the grist of the creative mind. And when the creative mind is free to explore, imagine, and reinvent, the writer has truly found her courage.

Even in memoir and creative nonfiction, writing comes from firsthand knowledge and experience, keeping in mind that people (characters) often come disguised as who they want to be, not who they are.

As always, I have found that a work in progress gives us the desire to get up in the morning and write. The project may not be a “totally safe subject,” but if you believe the goal is harmony and justice—or what writers sometimes call redemption and reconciliation—then you are less cautious about breaking out of your comfort zone and taking risks.

Or have you been “taught” to write only “feel-good stories” or children’s fantasies posing as truth? For my part, I am working on a novel that takes time and discernment, and I admit I am grappling with fortitude (and courage) to finish. (More on that later.)

Only you know what drives you to write. It’s so easy. Just pick up the pen or open the laptop and do it. Many won’t, however.

I look forward to a new writing season. How about you?