As an author and spiritual director, Sarah Robinson Flick’s writing evokes a sense of the seasons, sacred places, and the spiritual nature in life. In this series of blogs, Sarah walks us through some of her best writing tips. These tried-and-true pieces of advice for new writers will be highlighted monthly. To learn more about Sarah and her writing, check out her debut memoir, Desire, Mystery, and Belonging, available now on Amazon.
Tip #5: Experience Mystery
I think it is important to remember that some of us will experience writing as a “mystery.”
Most of the time, we cannot know the outcome of our writing. We don’t know if a journal entry might become a blog post, or a letter to a friend, or the foundation of a new book.
Even when we believe we know the outcome, as in when we have a contract with a publisher, we can’t know where our writing will travel, how it will be received, who will share it with others, or just what else might happen.
In truth, we almost never know outcomes “for sure” and yet we live our lives each day as best we can.
Writing is like this too.
At some point, we come to trust in the writing itself, the words themselves. They will have their own journeys and we will know in time.
In the mystery of the present, we simply do the work, we write.
