As I thought about the changes my daughter is going through, it occurred to me that becoming a writer is like being an adolescent.
Watch the video to find out why.
Hello, my lovely writers.
Do you know why becoming a writer is like being an adolescent?
It dawned on me today.
I was thinking about my daughter who is almost thirteen and how, when she was eleven, her body started to change as she entered a new phase of life. Her menstruation started, she started developing boobs and her hips started widening. All these little things started happening without her realising it.
Every day while she went about her business and did what she needed to do, her body underwent all these changes. When I think back on her life, the pace seemed right until she got to this tween stage and suddenly everything shot forward as she stopped being this little girl and became a young woman.
How becoming a writer is like being an adolescent
I realised this is exactly what it’s like when we’re becoming writers. We’re plodding along, we’re doing our own thing, we’re going through all these teething problems, we’re learning to walk, we’re learning to speak and we’re learning how to navigate the world in our writing space and in the context of our writing.
Then, suddenly, we reach this adolescent stage where things start to speed up. When we look back, we realise, ‘Gosh, suddenly my writing took on leaps and bounds. Suddenly I moved forward. Suddenly I felt I knew what I was doing a little bit more. Suddenly I had some direction. Suddenly I felt some autonomy with my writing. I felt confident with my writing. I felt I was in control of my writing, rather than my writing being in control of me.’
It’s bizarre how our writing life is very much like going through toddlerhood. Going through those primary school years and then coming up to high school and into adolescence. Then that blossoming happens that I saw in my daughter. It is a beautiful thing. Both for her becoming a young woman but also for you becoming a writer.
It doesn’t happen in a year, or even in six months
So, take heart that this is a big picture thing and it doesn’t all happen in one year. It doesn’t necessarily happen in six years. Sometimes it takes a while for the right thing to come along at the right time, at the right moment, where you find your voice, you find your groove, you find your rhythm and you find your independence as a writer. There’s a lot of trial and error in writing.
So keep writing, keep going and you’ll get there.
Emma xx
Emma Dhesi
Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.
She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.
Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.
Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!
