The Empowered Writer Model

Throughout my studies, research, and experience — I’ve come to find that writers usually oscillate between 4 stages. And we almost never go through the stages in a linear way. They also happen to coincide with tarot cards and the hero’s journey archetypes, as well as the three A’s in trauma recovery coaching.

Learning

(In Tarot = 0 - The Fool, The Aces)
(In TRC = Awareness)

The learning stage of writing is a place we find ourselves at many, many times in life. It is the beginning of a cycle, a season, a skill. It is in our awareness of what we need or want to learn that we begin to ascend to a higher understanding of what writing means to us, individually and collectively. It is also in this stage that we learn or become aware of what we don’t know or what has held us back in the past.

Healing

(In Tarot = Suit of Cups and Swords)
(In TRC = Acceptance)

The healing stage of writing is a beautifully messy place to be. It’s often the darkest, most painful of the stages, but it’s incredibly necessary in order to grow and accept who we are as human beings. As we learn to accept and embrace all parts of us, we come to terms with what it is that is calling us to write. This truly is a magical stage.

Doing

(In Tarot = Suit of Wands and Pentacles)
(In TRC = Action)

Maybe the least “sexy” of all the stages, the doing stage is all about action. The actual “work” of creative empowerment. This often looks like a daily creative practice (maybe journaling, morning pages, painting, etc.). This stage can feel quite mundane but make no mistake — it’s within the Doing that you end up at Being.

Being

(In Tarot = The Magician, The High Priestess, The World)
(In TRC = Awareness ⭢ Acceptance ⭢ Action)

The being stage is a glorious, wonderful place to be, but it’s also the most abstract as it’s the repeated cycle of Learning, Healing, and Doing. Over and over we enter and leave the Being stage, each time a little more enlightened and a lot more empowered. It’s also within this stage that we recognize the power and value in a community, as well as the natural desire to support other writers.