Writing is a joy, but it can be tough sometimes when life exerts its demands. Between work and bills, family and friends, responsibilities that arise from seemingly nowhere, writing can go from a passion to just another chore.
But writing is where we find our greatest truths, be they victories, flaws, gratitude or grief. Writing is the life’s blood that keeps an author’s heart beating. We will always know ourselves best through what we write.
Everyday Writing
I am not a published author, but I write every single day. As a classroom teacher, I write emails to parents, coworkers and administrators about the mundane things that make up life at work. I write journal entries and messages to friends when I’m at home. I track my progress as I train for a physical fitness test that will decide whether or not I pursue a career in law enforcement or find a corporate job when this school year ends. And, in quiet moments, when the stories I write obsessively in my head can no longer be contained, I write novels. But that’s been happening less and less in the past few months, which is less than ideal as an aspiring author.
Between 2024-2025, I managed to write every day in my novel before I started training for this physical fitness test. Now, I’m lucky to write once or twice a week, and it’s usually just a few words here and there on my phone. But one thing I’ve learned about myself, especially recently, is this—just because I’m not actively writing does not mean I’m not creating. It means I’m resting up for the next wave. If I’m not writing, then my creativity is in the pressure cooker. Even playing puzzle games, or listening to an audio book, or finding a new show to stream while I clean my house helps recharge the inspiration I need to go back to projects I need to finish, or to map the projects I haven’t yet started.
My Magical Writing
Like most authors, I write what I know. I write about magic, because I practice magic on my own. I do so in the quiet, when I’m alone. Sometimes, when I’m feeling anxious, I’ll light some sage and cleanse my space. Then, I’ll light a candle to focus my intent on what it is I’m trying to achieve. That simple act, most of the time, is enough to calm my mind and bring me back into a mental space where I can make room for writing. Perhaps your writing ritual is a glass of wine, or a cup of tea, or a back patio nook with a view. But whatever it is, I hope you are able to write for pleasure daily.
A friend once told me that if your writing isn’t a labor of love, then your reader will notice that. So write because you love it. Write to escape the mundane. Write to process the jumble of thoughts in your head, even when you don’t have time to do so. Writing is just as much about self-care as it is about plot and characters and story building. We find our truest selves in stories, so I hope you find yourself in your writing.
Heather is a middle school teacher in Southeast Texas who has been writing stories since she was five. As a kid, her articles appeared in neighborhood newsletters, and one of her poems even won a 5th grade writing contest contest. In 2020, two of her pieces were published in The Woodlands Writers Guild Anthology (now out of print). These days, she spends her free time writing as much as possible, staying active, and amusing herself by asking her husband the weirdest questions imaginable.