WriteFoxy Foxy Notes 22nd September - Permission to write, Miss?
Giving ourselves the green light to write.
Hello, lovely writer! Welcome to your weekly fix of foxy writing fabulousness!
This week I’m tackling a subject that so many people struggle with: Permission. Who gets to decide if we can call ourselves writers? Why are some genres praised while others are belittled? And if you want to write, why is it anyone else’s business but your own?
As always, I’ve also included a Foxy Writing Prompt for you at the end of these notes. Please feel free to share where the prompt took you in the comments below this post. I love to see how the prompts are being used!
So, grab a cuppa, a pen and a bit of paper, and let’s get going…
Please, Sir, can I call myself a writer?
This weekend saw the very first WriteFoxy writing workshop held at the gorgeous venue of The Timber House near Halesowen, and it was a totally brilliant day! Six fantastic writers joined me and host Amy Chim for a day of writing, exploring, chatting and enjoying the best food and company. After lunch, we were talking about writing and one subject came up that united us all. The issue of permission. Every writer around the table (including me) - and every writer I have ever worked with in workshops, talks and mentoring sessions - has battled this issue in many aspects of writing.
When can you call yourself a writer? When is it okay to say it’s what you want to do? When can you set aside time to write without feeling guilty, or that the act of writing is a selfish indulgence? How much should you write? What kind of book are you allowed to write? When can you believe that your words have potential beyond the hidden pages of your notebook?
Lovely writer, one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is permission to write.
I said this to the writers gathered around the table in the warm kitchen of the gorgeous Timber House as September rain soaked the landscape outside, and I saw the cringes pass around the group. I’ve cringed when other people have said this to me. Because all of us face a tug-of-war between believing in the words we write and feeling like they aren’t important enough.
How often have you found yourself apologising for wanting to write, for what you write, for the story you’re working on? How often have you edited how you describe yourself because ‘I’m a writer’ sounds too grand, too presumptuous, or too boastful?
I’ve been a published author for sixteen years and I still find myself reddening when I’m talking about a new project. It’s an in-built defence mechanism we have, particularly if we’re British and even more if we’re female or female-identifying. Because we’ve been conditioned to never big ourselves up, or boast about what we do. And also because all of us have faced someone asking us why we think we’re writers, why we’re writing the kinds of stories we are, and why we believe anyone would want to read what we write (there is always someone…)
So, how can we flip the narrative, own what we do and stop waiting for permission to do it? Read on, lovelies!
Grant yourself permission and be the writer you want to be!
Over the years, I’ve had to grant myself permission to call myself a writer, to write the kind of stories I want to write, to be unapologetic when talking about my writing and to own my potential for what I’ll write in the future. Consider this your permission slip whenever you’re tempted to avoid the ‘writer’ word, play down what you do or shrink your dreams to accommodate other people’s opinion:
I AM a writer. If you write, you’re a writer, full stop. Say it loud and often!
My words matter. Forget rejections, doubts and fears. Your words have worth.
My words have potential. Ignore what anyone else says. Believe it, then write more!
My stories have worth. If you want to write it, someone in the world will want to read it. More than that, nobody can tell the story the way you can. Readers are waiting to read the world through your eyes - even if you can’t see them yet.
The only permission I need to write is my own. Any time. Always. Your words, your voice, your business. Own your words. And go and write!
This week’s Foxy Writing Prompt:
Every week, I’m including a writing prompt in these Foxy Notes. This week’s is a bit different, so go with it.
Ready? Here goes: Write about yourself as if you are looking at the writer you want to be. Describe yourself as an interviewer would in a glossy magazine article, talking about you in the most positive terms possible. I dare you to make yourself sound as brilliant, confident and successful as you can!
Be brave, be bold, and then read it back to yourself as proof of who you can be and who you are already!
I am planning to host more WriteFoxy Writing Days at the Timber House, so keep watching this Substack for details and dates. I’d love to welcome you for a day of writing, inspiration and fun in the company of other wonderful writers!
That’s all for this week…
…but remember to give yourself credit for what you achieve, give yourself grace for what you don’t and give yourself permission to have fun with what you write. Have a great writing week and see you next week for more Foxy Notes!
Happy writing!
Miranda