Your Right to Write

Feb 1

“I don’t even know where to start…” A friend said to me the other day when I suggested journaling or writing about a hard experience they were having.

“Start where you are,” I said. “Write that exact thing down… I don’t even know where to start. And then write down whatever comes into your head next. And then the next thing and the next thing.”

It’s as simple as that, but that’s not how we learned to approach writing. It’s not how I was taught to approach writing.

Up until the last few years, I’ve approached writing as this big “thing.” A big to-do. A big production. Would I be able to sit in the chair and crank out some solid word counts today? Is what I’m writing “good enough?” Insert any typical writer-related quandary or thought process as it relates to writing — and I’ve been there. I think most of us have.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

What I’m writing about today isn’t revolutionary, but it’s rebellious. It goes against most (if not all) of the advice out there about writing (much of which is extolled on this platform). It goes against the very nature of what we’ve been taught about what “writing” is and what it is not. It goes against the idea that only certain people should be able to “write” and publish.

But writing is our birthright. Julia Cameron taught me that. In fact, this whole post is essentially a giant love letter to the things Julia Cameron has taught me lately. Especially in her newest book, The Right to Write.

I think what struck me about this book is how damn empowering it is. And I’m in the business of empowering others, so of course, now I want to shout from the rooftops about it because what empowers others, empowers us all.

What’s so rebellious about the book and the messages inside of it, one may ask?

Julia Cameron asserts (and I’m 100% in agreement) that everyone can and should write. Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime.

She says,

“We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance as well. We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in. We should write, above all, because we are writers whether we call ourselves writers or not. The Right to Write is a birthright, a spiritual dowry that gives us the keys to the kingdom.”

It’s my belief that every one of us can benefit from writing. That we, as human beings, can learn to live better, richer lives if we write. But being in the writing industry for as long as I have, this isn’t what people hear.

The industry tells people that they must be “good” to write. That they must learn how to write “well.” The industry tells people that they must study genre expectations or write to market or to “give the readers what they want.” The industry tells us to value the Butt In Chair experience, cranking out word counts. The industry talks ad nauseam about query letters and agents and publishing houses.

We never talk about the values and virtues of writing…just to write.

Julia Cameron asks this question that has been haunting me since I read it:

If we didn’t have to worry about being published and being judged, how many more of us might write a novel just for the joy of making one?

Can you answer this truthfully? Because when I sat down to write the answer to the question, my fingers flew across the keyboard. There are creations beyond creations that I would have produced by now if not for the fear of being judged, if not for the fear of not being “good enough.” I was never given the permission to “create” or “write” just because it filled my soul with joy.

Julia also talks about something in her book that I’m extremely guilty of. This whole theory about writers being “special snowflakes” — as if being a writer gives us a superpower that is unattainable to others.

I’m naturally a writer. It’s come “easy” to me for most of my life. It’s embroidered on my soul as something I know I’m supposed to be doing… but even I have felt at times like I’m “special” for having this inside of me. And the reality is — I’m not special in that way. We ALL have the ability to put our thoughts down on paper and more importantly — we ALL have the right to do so. When I realized that writing is a superpower we all possess, I freed myself from the pressure to be something more than I am. I became what everyone else is: a human being who has something to say and wants to say it.

This also dovetails with the mentality that so many writers have: that of product instead of process. Again, I’ve fallen into this mental trap, too. Thinking of a piece of writing as something deliverable to the world rather than something that means something valuable to my heart and soul. Even in writing this article, I’ve had to stop myself from writing for “others” instead of the true reason for writing it: to share what I love about Julia Cameron’s book and its messages.

I can’t help but think of all of the amazing lessons and stories we may be able to read if we encouraged people to write no matter the outcome. No matter the end result. If we encouraged people to write for the process, not the product, what voices could fill our world?

If I had to guess, I would say that we’d be surprised by what we could learn and gain. But not everyone wants to hear what people have to say. In fact, I’ve heard this line many times.

“But why would you encourage this? Not everyone SHOULD write or publish books.”

And my response to that is, why? Why shouldn’t everyone be able to do that? If a person has something they want to say and they want to do so in writing, why shouldn’t they be able to put a voice to that? Who are we to determine what stories get told or which voices get heard? This is a form of oppression. We all have free-will, right? So we have the choice of whether or not to read or respond to something someone wrote. If you don’t like it — there are a million other stories and voices to read. Just because you don’t like or agree with what someone said doesn’t mean they don't’ have a right to say or write it. The truth is — I’m exhausted of this game society plays on who has the “right” to do what and when.

And that’s why I agree so whole-heartedly with Julia’s revolution idea:

“We are in the midst of a quiet revolution, a revolution of pen and paper. As more and more of us take to the page, as we explore and express our honest vulnerabilities, first to ourselves and perhaps later for publication, we are rendering ourselves more transparent, more open to the human condition in ourselves and others. We are rendering ourselves compassionate and in that compassion we discover that what we have begun to say, writing, is only the beginning of righting things. I want us to take back the power into our own hands. I want us to remember we have choices and voices. I want us to right our world, and writing is the tool I feel helps us to do it.”

I love this approach so much, I have this quote on my wall now. To remind myself that a revolution doesn’t happen with a single person… it happens with many people who realize the power they possess and are brave enough to stand up and participate. I see this happening in real-time, right now, as I write this. People are taking to forums and newsletters to speak about COVID and the global unrest. People are tired of being silenced and they’re beginning to speak. It’s through writing, I believe, that we can make a difference in the world.

It’s because of this belief that I’m going to recommend that everyone writes. That everyone who has something to say takes to the page and says it. I’m recommending that everyone has voice and choice and it’s through writing that we realize the power we actually do have.

So start where you are. Right now. Write because you have something to say regardless of if anyone is there to read it. Write because you must, because you have something of value to express.

Write because it’s your birthright to do so.

Need some encouragement with getting started? Not sure where to begin? I understand. Consider checking out my Write Minded Community — where writers are celebrated, supported, and encouraged to deepen their writing practices for themselves.