I remember back in late 2023, I was talking to my Write on Purpose Coach, W. Bradford Swift, when I became clear that while I often talked about writing, I hadn’t made it a dominant part of my life.
On our video chats, I noticed that Coach Brad had a bookshelf full of his books behind him. In contrast, the shelf behind my desk held various things that I made and my books were stashed away in a cubby out of sight. Nothing wrong with that except that I wanted writing to be a dominant part of my life and my environment was not reflecting that.
A shift was in order.
Becoming the Writer (Visibly)
Inspired by uncovering my purpose in writing (to write enjoyable stories that cause young readers to imagine and experience new and expansive ideas), I took on becoming the person that would fulfill that purpose. I wanted anyone that looked at my desk area and shelf to know that I was a writer.
At the time, I only had two books published, “The Secret in Bladham Wood” and “Hope & Josie Go to the Prom” (co-written with a friend of mine). They didn’t take up much room on my shelf, so I took a few spare copies of my Bladham novel and covered them with mock-covers of books that I had already started and wanted to finish.
I couldn’t help but notice them every time I walked over to my desk and seeing them always made me smile. It helped me want to finish them even more.
That was late 2023, and now in early 2025, I have completed and published three of those books: “The Resurrection Incident”, “Sentenced”, and “Goddess Game.” (The illustrated stories have been written and storyboarded, but sidelined for the moment).
The Power of Visual Identity
It feels like quite an accomplishment as I had started them all around 2012-13 and there was no completion in sight.
I highly recommend a coach if you’re having trouble seeing why and how you’re holding yourself back.
Now that I have all that experience under my belt and new ideas, I’m not as intimidated as I once was to start and actually finish a book. I mean, I still have moments like “I have no idea where this is even going, how can I commit to finishing it!”, but then I recalibrate back to the person with a purpose, and I get on with it. (I don’t mean to make that sound super easy. I definitely still squirm a bit before I get back to work.)
Shifting Space, Shifting Self
Since my husband and I moved last year, I’ve been writing and I’ve also become a Sheila of multiple trades. My room/office has been filled with many wonderful supplies and tools.
I love having access to all these things AND I realized this past week that it did not reflect my writerly-ness.
When we first moved in, I had thought I might have a corner of the room dedicated to cozy reading or even meditation. Instead, in last year’s burst of exploratory growth, every nook and cranny was filled with “making things.”
A room is a bit more challenging than shifting around a bookshelf, but I took on rearranging it to be more aligned with where I want to be in life. The “making things” have been organized and stuffed into the closet (I will be spending time at a later date crafting some of my supplies down to a more manageable amount).
The end result: I have a corner cleared and ready for a comfy chair and blanket.
The Creative Center
The change feels right.
It feels aligned with my spirit, which wants to do everything (for sure), but mostly wants to write stories and enjoy stories.
That has to be the centerpiece. I’ll fit the rest in around that. 😊