Inspired to Write? Lisa Tener
Writing Your Way through
Readers of Aspire may—or may not—remember that this time a year ago I underwent a health crisis and ended up in the hospital for eight days and many weeks of bed rest and recovery followed. When in the hospital, too weak and tired to even talk on the phone or to guests, a beautiful book of poems by Mary Oliver helped me deal with my fears about being so ill and not knowing the cause.
When I left the hospital, writing about my experience—which soon became my Aspire article for the following month—helped me transition from the crisis back into my life as mother, wife, book writing coach and entrepreneur. Writing helped me make sense of the experience. It helped me process the lessons I learned. And brought additional insights as well as changes I wanted to make in my life.
Writing also helped me feel I was “doing” something even when I felt so weak that I could do so little. While other activities like phone calls or e-mails took too much energy, I found that writing by hand gave me energy.
As a book writing coach, I see many clients transform their life’s crises into that veritable pearl in the oyster when they write a book that shares their journey. The writing takes them into new territory and insights, brings them confidence and helps them see their struggles in an entirely new way as their experiences sud- denly become a portal to personal power and a credential for new endeavors that build upon their experience.
I’ve seen many women who suf- fered from illness, sudden widow- hood, job loss or divorce become coaches, bloggers or speakers who help others with this chal-
October/November 2012
lenge. They may share their story in the form of a memoir or a how-to book with a strong memoir element. By searching more deeply about the lessons to share, they get to an even deeper level of healing and power in their own lives.
But you don’t have to write a book to use the power of writing to help you through crisis. Here are some other ideas:
Use a private journal to process what you’re going through. Re- member that just blurting out all the bad stuff can bring you down. See if you can end each journal entry with one thing you’re thank- ful for—no matter how small.
Journal
Blogging isn’t for everyone. It certainly puts aspects of your life out there for all to see. But it can also help you connect with
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