Hello Reader,

As I type this, a dozen cedar waxwings perch on the bare branches of the plum tree outside my window. I'll take that as a good sign. Reading the news is difficult these days, but looking out the window almost always delivers.

Books are another great escape during turbulent times. I've just finished a couple memoirs by great writers: Joyride by Susan Orlean and Working by Robert Caro.

Those writers' stories inspired this week's post. Because the post is short, you can read the whole thing in this email message. Look beyond it for the January book drawing.

The story of your writing life

Read the post online instead

If I were to ask you about your writing identity today, what would you say?

When people introduce themselves in writing workshops, they often lead with what they are not: Not published, not famous, not authors. Or, they define themselves by their limits: I only write poems. I only write in my journal. I only self-publish.

Do you ever do this?

Perhaps you don’t want to be seen as braggy or claiming too much. (Women in particular fall prey to this worry and often downplay our accomplishments.) I don’t suggest you exaggerate or lie about your writing. But being excessively humble can backfire.

The limiting stories we present to others often reflect or reinforce the stories that we tell ourselves.

Stories can change lives—including our own.

Happily, you’re a writer and know how to revise. Perhaps this is the right moment to revise your story. You might make a small shift or create an entirely new story arc.

Reframing the limits

Even a small shift in the words you use to describe your writing life can make a difference.

For example, instead of saying “I only write in my journal,” how about saying “So far, I am focused on journal writing.”

Instead of “I only write poetry,” try “I love writing poetry and spend my time on that.”

Both of those narratives leave the door open a crack for future growth. They help you reclaim your identity as a real writer.

Changing your story arc

What if you didn’t have your current limits? What would your grant writing memoir cover?

Here’s a tiny experiment you might try: Pretend it’s seven years in the future and you’re writing a query letter to a memoir of your writing life to a publisher. Obviously you have found success, as you are publishing a memoir about it. You need a 2-3 sentence story arc to describe it.

What would your story arc be?

What could you start doing today to make that story a reality?

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The January book drawing

Remember those two author memoirs I mentioned? The lucky winner of the drawing can pick the one they want to read:

Joyride by Susan Orlean

Working by Robert Caro (for the biographers out there)

Both are inspiring for nonfiction writers. Susan's also makes a fascinating story. How many of us get to be played by Meryl Streep in a movie?

To enter the drawing, reply to this email by Sunday, January 25, and let me know which one you'd like. If you'd like to share your own writing biography, please do so!

That's all for now. Give your own writing biography a try, and I'll be back in February.

May the words come to you fluidly and smoothly,

Anne

PO Box 66285 Scotts Valley, CA 95067

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