EXPANDING OUR VIEW
Me, Me, Me
The life of a writer is very self-centered
In collaboration with Andrej Lišakov
There is a reason I’ve chosen a large vertical image that overwhelms the page to start this piece. The stylish woman is holding a mirror that blocks her face and presumably is looking at herself.
This image feels like the life of a writer. We are self-absorbed in our pursuit of writing, then we come out of our shell to engage the world, but just enough that we either:
- Grab a snapshot of something we now feel inspired about. Back to our shells, we go, pen (or laptop) in hand.
- Seek reader feedback to see if we are hitting the mark. Are we understood? Was our intent met?
Any way you look at it, writers lead a self-centered life.
I’ve spent much of my parenting life coaching our kids, “It’s thee and then me.” In other words, we need to look outward and consider other people versus the natural inclination to think about ourselves.
So, how do I reconcile a basic principle that my husband and I have preached to our kids with my self-centered nature as a writer?
As is my way, I’ve given myself three rules that might help me look beyond the mirror.
