Writing Who I Am
“Writing helps me know what I think.”
I was leaving a meeting of like-minded people in my community where I had agreed to write a summary of all we had learned. This thought tumbled out of my mouth as I realized how important this volunteer writing exercise would be for me. Without it, all that information would have been wisps in the wind, interesting in the moment, but disappearing somewhere between the caverns of my mind and the vortex of the universe.
Without writing, my mind would go blank on the topic at hand.
Writing is how I unpack my feelings. I break down complicated topics into manageable pieces through writing. When I write, I can build a case for something I believe in. Fantasies are only a few scribbles away. It’s not an overstatement, I think, to say that writing helps me become who I am.
I never expected to be a writer. It wasn’t a career goal or even a flight of fancy. If you had told me I would write books in retirement, I’d have thought it a stretch. If you had predicted I’d start a writing group that would grow into a nonprofit, I’d have thought you out of your mind!
One thing, though, that has always been true is that writing has made me who I am and continues to help shape me — even in my elder years — into the person I’m supposed to be. From journal writing, to professional writing, to letters to the editor, to meeting summaries, to poems, to short stories, I am what I write.
That’s why it can be hard to send my writing off to my editor who will pick it apart like pulling lice out of my hair. Last February, she returned my newest marked-up manuscript with what felt like a chopping block. I reacted by assuming she doesn't understand me! She doesn’t understand what I’m trying to do! My writing is me! The truth is that she’s an excellent editor and, underneath my devastated reaction, I trusted her. Over the last six months, I’ve restructured and revised, incorporating almost all of her points into the manuscript. If writing helps me become who I am, then a good editor helps me become a more authentic me. (The latest draft is called Healing without Forgiving: a hero’s journey for dissociative survivors and is now off for another round with Sarah.)
Giving and receiving constructive feedback in our writing workshops can be tricky. We want to improve our writing, but we also want to be affirmed and understood. That’s why we call it a feedback sandwich: healthy slices of bread on either side that affirm who we are and what we have written, then some chewy meat in the middle that stretches us to improve our writing.
Hopefully, participating in our writers workshops helps all of us become the authentic “me” we want to be!
2025 Anthology Submissions Due September 15
Subscribers to Dissociative Writers are invited to submit prose, poetry, and art for the 2025 Anthology. The deadline is September 15. For complete instructions, see Documents/2025 Anthology in Heartbeat.
Special Events
Dissociative Writers is now offering Special Events led by our gifted and talented subscribers. The first Special Event is a Book Study led by Kim E. Up ahead (and not yet on the calendar) look forward to Healing Music led by Cindy and Little’s Playtime led by Sharri. Check our Announcements and Calendar for updates on our Special Events.
DW Becomes a 501(c)3 Nonprofit
Dissociative Writers is a nonprofit registered in the state of New Mexico and, having met all the other criteria, is exempt from federal taxes and is officially a 501(c)3, retroactively effective to August 21, 2023. We are grateful for all of you who have supported this effort to become a nonprofit and look forward to many years of serving our community and beyond!
DW Fall Calendar
Stay abreast of Dissociative Writers workshops and events by checking our Calendar on Heartbeat!
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I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.
~ Shannon Hale