Writing For Both Joy and Catharsis
Writing is a uniquely individual pursuit.
Each writer has her own pace, her own style, and her own way of telling her stories.
But the main reason most writers start to write is because of two reasons; either it provides her with great joy or for an opportunity for catharsis and release.
My own writing has been an example of both.
When I first began to write, it was about the fun of stringing pretty sentences together.
It was all about flowery language and lots of descriptive words.
It took me a while to learn the importance of getting to the point of the story, but once I did I was surprised by the detour my writing took.
My writing went from lots of description that dragged out too long, to a face-paced and deeply emotional plot line.
My plots were dark, too.
Intense.
And looking back at my first novel, I realize I had some real darkness inside my soul I was attempting to exorcise.
A funny thing happened, though.
When I tried to write a sequel, which I had fully planned to do, I just couldn’t get into it.
I hit roadblock after roadblock.
I couldn’t figure out why.
Then, just for fun, I began another story.
And it flowed out of me like a swift river.
No more struggling.
No more writer’s block.
My first novel took ten full years to come to fruition, but my second story, a Christmas novella, took a mere five months.
My first novel was dark, gritty and intense, full of serious subjects like abuse, loss, and victimization.
My novella, though, was much lighter.
It was still a thriller, but there was a lot more fun involved.
Sure, there was intrigue and a death-defying escape, but there was also some really fun sex scenes.
While my first book was all about catharsis and the release of pent-up emotion, for my second I was back to the joy.
Then, I changed things up again and went into writing short nonfiction personal development eBooks meant to help my coaching clients.
But no matter what I write, I’ve discovered that as long as I write what I NEED to – whether it’s to purge negativity or just for the pure joy of it – I’ve never had to deal with writer’s block again.
Have you been struggling with writer’s block?
Check out Jeannie’s eBook on the subject.
Jeannie’s romantic thrillers and other eBooks can be found here.
Jeannie also has a personal development podcast you can listen to for free: Create Your Empowered Self podcast
Or if you’re really struggling and would like more one-on-one assistance, Jeannie is also an NLP Certified Creative Empowerment Coach taking on new clients. Check out her coaching page for more info.
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Word by Word 
Hi, Jeannie! I began writing out of joy and then learning how to improve, but still was excited about writing my first book until….nothing. No one wanted it. In the meantime, I worked on short stories and was excited again. I have one more book to do and shall concentrate on shorts as I have more joy there.
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Hi, Vicki!
It’s interesting how we have something we find joy in, then if we decide to share it, sometimes others don’t respond to it in the way that we’d hoped – at least not at first. I personally think it’s not that no one wants or likes it, it’s that it hasn’t been shown to the right people yet.
I always think of JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame. Many, many publishers rejected book one out of hand, giving many excuses. But as we all know, her stories are phenomenal.
And yours are, too!
We all have something beautiful and powerful to share with this world, and if at first they don’t respond in the way we’d hoped – well, it’s just time to give others the chance to enjoy it.
I’m so glad you’ve found joy in the writing of your short pieces. And I know the world needs more of the creativity and joy you have.
And joy is the whole point anyway, right?
Take care!
❤️Jeannie
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I find writing to be like my reading, it depends on my mood whether it’s light and fun or dark and edgy.
Great post, Jeannie. I’m glad you’ve found your muse again 🙂
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Thank you so much, Jacquie!
It’s funny how our inspiration can come from completely unexpected sources, but when we need it, it’s always there.
Variety is a wonderful and beautiful gift.
Take care,
❤️Jeannie
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Lovely post, Jeannie. I’m so glad you found a path that works for you! For me the struggle is now writing on deadline versus writing when I feel like it. They are two very different things. 🙂
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Hi, Sharon!
I totally understand about the whole deadline thing.
I actually switched to self-publishing partly because deadlines stifle my creativity. And ironically, I’m much more prolific now! Lol!
Also, I realized my path wasn’t only about writing – it was about coaching and teaching and other opportunities as well.
The twists and turns in life can be really fascinating.
I wish you much success and more importantly, happiness and joy!
Take care,
❤️Jeannie
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