If, like me, you have you been “writing a book” for ages but, you find yourself doing anything other than sitting down and actually writing, you might find this post useful. Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about how much I actually want to be a creative writer. While I claim to love creative writing, I rarely get on with it.  

Does this happen to you too?

While I write a fair amount of non-fiction, my creative writing has definitely been on the back burner. Questioning my desire to be a creative writer has added another layer of reflection to the mixture. Is it just a dream or is it something I really want? Can I call myself a creative writer if I am not actually writing stories?

In my writing groups others seem to be writing avidly. They tell me to just get on with it, to create rituals, to be more disciplined and so on. I know I can do all those things. I’ve met work deadlines for years. I use the Pomodoro technique to get stuff done. I write stories when I´m inspired. So, what is going on?

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When the student is ready….

Recently, I attended an online Thrive Live event with financial coach Ann Wilson. If you are wondering how this connects to writing, bear with me. I’ve been following Ann for years and I’ve always liked her holistic coaching approach to money. On Day 1, Ann talked about habits, showing up, making goals and so on. She went on to discuss making goals that align with your future you, rather than from the place of the person we believe ourselves to be now.

She pointed out that our current ‘smaller’ self doesn’t want to pay the price for our future vision. I get that; the here-and-now me finds a million other things to do including sitting on the sofa and reading someone else’s book rather writing my own.

Ann suggested we think about our future self and ask why am I doing this now? Or why am I writing every day? And, what will look like in 10 years’ time, 5 years’ time or even 12 months’ time?

Identifying as a story writer

I found that asking myself these questions, brought about a shift in my perspective. I was no longer focusing on the here-and-now me who simply wanted to finish this months’ book club read, but on the future me. And, to my surprise my brain’s response was clear. There I was, in the future, with that finished novel in my hand. The self-talk changed from “Have I really got the time and energy to write now?” to “Oh yeah, I’ll just spend 20 minutes writing that novel.”

As with everything we want to do well, consistency plays a big part. Doing this once is great. However, if we want to build momentum, we have to keep doing it. Like James Clear in Atomic Habits, Ann points out that the more you do something, the more you believe you are that person who does that. In other words, the more short stories you write, the more you believe you are a short story writer. It’s this belief in our identity “I’m a short story writer ” that gives us our intrinsic motivation to keep going.

“When you write every day, you embody the identity of a creative person.”

Atomic Habits, James Clear

So, what have I noticed?

Next weekend, it’s the monthly meeting with my local writing group. I have been edgy because I felt that I haven’t got anything worth sharing. However, I started to think about my writing practice from the perspective of my future self and remembered a story I wrote last year. I took myself for a coffee and started to scribble in my notebook. As I focused on this story from my future self as opposed to my current self, ideas for short stories under the same theme came flooding out. I felt excited.

Unexpected sources

Then, take yesterday, for example. As part of the national historical memory week in Spain, I attended an event in honour of the victims of the Spanish Civil War. Unlike other countries where the victims of war are remembered annually, the horrors of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) were silenced by the dictatorship and propaganda that ensued. Post dictatorship, that silence continued and it wasn’t until much later, that Spain opened up to recognising this part of its past.

Sierra de Cádiz and the civil war

This particular event was in memory of a young man called Jose Pérez Valero. As a young boy, he had fled the small village where he lived in Andalucía with his parents when the military coup hit the province of Cadiz. José ´s parents left their youngest son, Alejandro, who was only five at the time, in the care of another family member. Like many others, Alejandro never saw his brother again. After travelling to Catalonia, Jose eventually found himself in a French refugee camp. Later, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the international branch of the French army to fight in WWII. After the Nazi invasion of France, Jose was taken prisoner in 1940 and transferred to a POW camp. Shortly after, along with 200 fellow Spaniards, he was put on a train under the context of being sent to Spain. In reality, they were transferred to a concentration camp where Jose died in a gas chamber at the age of 19. Alejandro, who is now 93, was present at the event with his daughters and grandchildren.

Listening to the historian, I realised that there were stories here waiting to be told. Perhaps, my time in Spain had been leading to this moment. After the presentation, I introduced myself to Angel, the historian. We connected on social media. Later, it dawned on me that Angel was a potential guide (and, what a great name for a guide!). Unintentionally, he was offering me a plan for action.  Whether I take action and write stories is now my choice.

Inspiration for short stories

I was clearly open to receiving. I began to talk to another one of the researchers. Seeing my interest in the local area, he gave me the name of a woman from the village who was arrested in 1883 suggesting I look her up. To my surprise, she fits perfectly with the theme I am thinking about for the short stories I mentioned above. Another guide, another gift.

I have heard similar civil war stories in Spain, but somehow this time was different. A change had taken place within me. Thanks to that shift in my perspective and thinking about my writing from a point in the future, I was open to recognising opportunities.

Why not give it a go?

So, if you have never tried thinking about your writing goals from your future self, why not give it a go? Think about the future you and align your goals with your future writer.

You might be as surprised with the results as I am.

James Clear´s book Atomic Habits

Ann Wilson’s book The Wealth Chef here