Trusting the Process of Writing

Do you find the process of writing a struggle?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. Many people feel this way.

Stephanie Dunson and I explore the joy, value, and process of struggle in this week's episode of Learning Through Experience. But more importantly, we reflected together on:

...writing as a reflective practice.

...using writing as a tool for deep thinking and developing relationships with complex material.

...engaging in the practice of writing for the sake of the practice rather than the final product.

...writing as a natural sort of meander, not a straight line.

Stephanie is a renowned facilitator who uses writing as a tool for problem-solving and collaboration – and even she struggles with the process of writing sometimes.

But, she also believes that writing can be a powerful way to think creatively about complex ideas and to build communities of inquiry, support, and respect.

The Struggle of Writing

If you struggle with writing, it can be easy to judge yourself. But the reality is that writing is hard. 

It’s easy to paint this perfect picture of a writer under soft light, in a room scented with lavender, with a cup of tea by their side, hours go by without them even noticing, pages and pages written effortlessly.

But Stephanie and I both agree that writing is not easy work and can be specially hard if you are writing towards a certain outcome or final product. 

“The idea of continuing to work with writing, and shaping it, and getting it to do the work that you want for it to do independent of your thinking, independent of your presence, that's challenging work. It's important work. It's meaningful work. And it can have its own satisfaction, but it's just challenging.” - Stephanie Dunson

One of my favorite  Zora Neale Hurston quotes speaks to this energy:

“I love having written!”

It’s great on the other side- when the piece is written, when the process is past tense.  

So how can we make this writing process easier and more enjoyable?

Trusting the Process of Writing

Stephanie shares this prompt she uses in one of her programs - write about whatever comes to mind and don’t worry about structure and form. 

Sounds challenging, right? No structure. No order. Just write.

“It's scary. It's agitating to systems that are calmed by structure and order. And it goes against so much of what people are taught about what writing should be, what it's supposed to be, and what it's supposed to be for.” - Stephanie Dunson

But here’s why it works: because it’s about trusting the process.

One of the most powerful things about reflection is that the answers to some of our deepest human questions aren't necessarily on the page in a book. Rather, they actually might be within us.

We actually have a way of meeting the world by looking within and trusting the process. 

I’ve always loved guidance to trust the process. And yet that in itself is somewhat of a paradox. We can only really trust the process through trusting the process.

Trusting the process is guidance that can be hard to follow unless you have the experience of trusting the process.

The Power of Reflective Practice

Writing is a series of processes, as is so much in life.

Within these processes, there is power in being with yourself. 

It's part of the power of a reflective practice — we're not necessarily producing something, we're just being with ourselves, others, or a group. 

It's not easy. It's just worth it. 

This season of the podcast is about how we learn through experience using four core practices: challenging your perspective, stretching and building range, directing your learning, reflection and inquiry.

In this episode with Stephanie, we focused on reflection – and writing as a tool for reflective practice.

And maybe the results of reflection happen under some soft light, in a room scented with lavender, and alongside a cup of tea, but you have got to come to love the struggle. 

Not because we actually want to be in a life of struggle and suffering but because life itself has its wrinkles and bumps. And if we can roll with that, we actually can take up life in a more spacious and enjoyable way, as a process perhaps, not a product.

To learn more about trusting the process of writing,  tune into Season 2 Episode 5 of Learning through Experience.

→ Learning Through Experience is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you find podcasts.

→ I’d love it if you would Follow the podcast on your favorite app for easy access and to receive notifications of new episodes.  This also gives more people access to learning through experience!

→ Learning Through Experience is a podcast produced through the Yale School of Management and hosted by Dr. Heidi Brooks.