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.

---

Learning How To Write

As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think... Read More

Writing Your Best-Selling Non-Fiction Book Title

Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More

Resignation Letters: Dont Let Yours Backfire On You...

It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More

Autobiography: Installment No.3

ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More

From Book Notes to Book Reports

Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane... Read More

A Writers Life

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

Is The Theme Reinforced In The Ending?

Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More

Local Knowledge: Background and Historical Setting in Novels

You're writing a story set in your local city, but... Read More

Knock-Out Writers Block: Listening To Your Inner Voice

When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More

Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 1

If you either want to write a book to help... Read More

Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor? Part 2

If you either want to write a book to help... Read More

Learning to Question Your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Having problems writing? I don't know why. San Francisco Chronicle... Read More

Check Your English Grammar With This Easy Technique

As an International language, English has been used widely in... Read More

The Unwritten World Of The Reality Of Letterwriting

You may wonder why I have chosen this title of... Read More

Writing With Power: 5 Snappy Rules For Success

Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... 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

Untrue Father (A short Story)

Kallu was a tenant of Santosh Kumar Nayak. Santosh Kumar... Read More

Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages

Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More

Writing Made Them Rich #3: Richard Bach

One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More

Looking For Good Copywriter Books?

If you are looking for copywriter books, you'll want to... Read More

Suspense Novels Made Easy

Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense... Read More

Mind Mapping Your Journal Entries

Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More

A Simple Contest with a Strong Message: Wake Up Your Writing Spirit

The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist

Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More

How to Create Incredible Characters Easily

Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More

Why We Dont Write Our Books

In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More

Keep your Book Dream Alive

Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More

How I Became a Syndicated Columnist -- And You Can Too!

Real Estate has "Location, location, location," and writing has "Clips,... Read More

Think Market!

Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More

6 Tricks To Squeeze Your Letters Onto One Page

Anyone who has read any of my articles on the... Read More

Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire?

Creative Writing Tips ?Complete a character questionnaire for each of... Read More

To Outline Or Not To Outline

Ah, the age-old writer's debate--to outline or not to outline?Outlines... Read More

Plotting Problems - Episodic Writing

The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More