We’re approaching year-end (really only five weeks to go!)...Can you believe it?
If you’re like me, this home stretch is a time for slowing down, thinking about the year ahead, and setting goals.
Will you accomplish all of them? Maybe not. Likely not.
I mean, I’d like to get better at painting, speaking Spanish, and trying new recipes, but if I’m being honest, I’ll be happy if I scratch the surface on any of those activities.
One thing I’d like to ask you to think about today, though, is your personal relationship with writing.
We live in a world where AI-powered writing tools have made it easier than ever to avoid working on improving your writing abilities and to simply outsource that work to the ol’ bots.
But where’s the art in that?
Where’s the humanity?
Where does it leave space for you to crystallize your personal thoughts and feelings into concrete words and sentences you can then share with others so you can be better understood?
The answer is…it really doesn’t.
I think now, more than ever, we need humans to create (and share!) things that are uniquely human. We need to lean into the rote tasks of writing things unassisted and using our imaginations to tell stories (both fiction and non-fiction.)
Because, yes: Technology is great. It’s useful and certainly has a place and time.
But for 2025, I want to encourage you to write more. Maybe even take this to the extreme and do it with pen and paper.
You can still spend a few hours every evening scrolling social media (let’s be honest, we’re not going to stop) and still make space in your day for 20-30 minutes of writing.
The result and impact of that activity has real dividends: You’ll learn more about yourself--and if you share your writing publicly, you may even find a pocket of folks who are excited to read what you have to say.
Writing isn’t an easy thing. For a lot of people, it’s fraught with self-doubt, it feels too challenging to be fun, or maybe it’s something we simply don’t believe we’re good at.
But you know what? Anything worth doing is hard.
I also want to offer to help. If this is something you’re interested in really investing in for 2025 and beyond, I’ve opened back up my one-to-one writing coaching offering.
There’s a four-week option for those who want a writing accountability partner and an editor to offer tips and guidance, but I’m also willing to do a one-time meeting if you just want to troubleshoot and talk through some of your writing-related stumbling blocks. (Just reply to this email if you’re curious about that option.)
Or, if you just want some quick lessons and a more self-directed route, consider my eBook, which comes with a workbook component.
Here’s the bottom line: If you do nothing other than start journaling, that’s a win.
Make writing a priority. It’s a net positive and a skill that you’ll never regret developing.