Summary

The article discusses the personal and profound nature of writing as a form of self-expression and the emotional impact it can have on writers when their work is shared or discovered.

Abstract

The author recounts an incident where her private, creative writing was found and shared by her jujitsu classmates, leading to a strong emotional reaction. This event underscores the idea that writing is not just a form of communication but an act of creation that imbues the work with a piece of the writer's soul. The article emphasizes that non-writers may not fully grasp the vulnerability and personal investment involved in writing. It also highlights the importance of a writing community, such as the one found on Medium, where writers can share and exchange pieces of their souls, enriching their own lives and the lives of others through this unique form of self-expression.

Opinions

Writing is deeply personal, as it involves creating something original that did not exist before, infusing it with a part of the writer's essence.
The discovery of the author's semi-autobiographical princess story by her classmates, who did not understand its significance, illustrates a common disconnect between writers and non-writers regarding the emotional weight of creative work.
The author's husband, while supportive, is not a writer and thus does not fully comprehend the depth of her emotional response to her work being shared without consent.
A writer's community, such as the one on Medium, is invaluable as it allows for the exchange of ideas and emotions, contributing to the growth of each member's soul and creativity.
The act of writing and sharing is likened to a divine process, akin to creating something from nothing, and is considered beneficial for mental health and personal growth.

The Thing About Writing That Non-Writers Don’t Always Understand

We leave pieces of our hearts wherever we go

When I was 24, I threw my phone across my bedroom.

I had just gotten a text from a guy at my jujitsu class. I had apparently left my notebook at the dojo, and the guys found it. Unfortunately for me, I had started writing a semi-autobiographical princess story in the back of said notebook.

They read it. They laughed. To let me know they found it, he texted me a snippet of the story.

And I threw my phone across the room.

Thank god it was a dumbphone.

A smartphone would never have survived.

Writing Is Self-Expression

The guys in my class who found my story were very much bros. One of them was actually pretty skeezy, in retrospect. Not all of the people in the class were, though. I was dating a different guy (not one of the two) who is now my actual real-life husband.

(My parents love it, I have a built-in bodyguard.)

My husband, however, as magnificent as he is, is not a writer. He did not understand the depth of my reaction. So I told a different, more writerly friend. His response:

“You only threw your phone?”

Here’s the thing about writing that people who aren’t writers don’t always understand — when we write, particularly something inventive, something that didn’t exist before, we put a piece of our soul into the words.

Writing is creation. We’re making worlds and people and thoughts exist that didn’t exist before. Creating anything is, in my opinion, actively divine—you are making something out of nothing. And you make it with a piece of yourself.

Everything you create has a soul. And we know this because the first piece, the first genesis of that soul is yours.

A Community of Writers Is An Exchange of Souls

The lovely and wonderful Liberty Forrest, Author, just wrote a beautiful piece (she calls is a Newsletterish) called These Two Hobbies Are Great For Your Mental Health where she invites us to appreciate our ability, our opportunity for self-expression.

She talks about how good it is for us, how wonderful it is that we can connect with other writers via a platform like Medium. And she’s entirely right.

A community of writers is a place where your soul grows. And it grows because you are constantly gathering pieces of other people’s souls and adding them to your own, and giving them yours in return.

There’s lots of new information and perspectives that I’ve learned from reading Medium articles. But the most valuable thing I have found is that every day, I can sit down, open my laptop, and add a piece of another person’s soul to mine.

Thank you.