So, how exactly should you write about your tears? Here are three ideas:

First, you can journal about them. Journaling is a time-tested method for working out your feelings and getting perspective on life’s disappointments. Second, you can write non-fiction articles, books, or other types of material where you talk about your experiences directly. This is a helpful way to work through your feelings, with the added benefit of helping others as well. And third, you can channel your experiences into fiction. This is an indirect way of processing your pain, but it can also be the most powerful way. Why? Because you can say things through fiction you would never say in non-fiction. The way you’re saying them is through events, characters, and dialogue in your stories. Whatever medium you choose, don’t be afraid of your feelings. Don’t stuff them in a box or lock them away. Writing about your pain can bring healing not only for you, but for your readers as well.Today’s Challenge: Think about the three ways I described—journaling, non-fiction material, and fiction—and consider how you can write about it to benefit you and others.

The post How to Write About Your Pain appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Today’s episode is the first in a seven-part series on dealing with rejection.

As writers, we deal with rejection in many forms. You can be rejected by a reader, a publisher, a literary agent, a podcaster, a beta reader, a book reviewer, a peer, and so much more. This rejection can be formal or informal, big or small. It can be direct and aggressive, or indirect and passive.

Whatever form rejection takes, one thing is for certain: IT HURTS.

And when it happens, we ask the inevitable questions like these: Why don’t they like my writing? Have I done something wrong? Why do they have to be so mean? How can I move forward now? What does everyone else think? Are they just as displeased?

Those are normal questions, but when you feel rejected, make sure and ask the most important question of all: Where is the seed of truth in their rejection?

Most of the time, in most cases, there is a kernel of truth in someone’s rejection. The person who hurt your feelings might be over the top, or maybe they went too far, but oftentimes there is a little bit of truth in every rejection or criticism.

So, look for the kernel of truth. Even if criticism or rejection is delivered in a hurtful way, it doesn’t mean the person was wrong. It just means they were wrong in their delivery. So, with as much humility as you can muster, see if there is any truth in what they said and adjust accordingly. You and your writing will be all the better for it.

Daily Question: Think of the most recent time you have been rejected or criticized. Was there any truth to it?

The post The Seed of Truth appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

If you had to pin down one universal emotion that all humans experience, it’s pain.

To be human means to suffer. We suffer on a daily basis as we deal with the disappointments and frustrations of everyday life. But then, we also suffer when we go through the occasional major trauma such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a major sickness, or divorce.

We are often afraid to share our pain because we’re afraid we will look weak. So, we lock up our feelings in a box, set it on a shelf in the back of a dark closet, and try to forget about it.

This is not a healthy way to deal with grief or loss. One of the best ways to work through your pain is to write about it. The Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho said, “Tears are words that need to be written.”

So how exactly should you write about your tears? Here are three ideas:

First, you can journal about them. Journaling has been a time-tested method for working out your feelings and getting perspective on life’s events and disappointments.

Second, you can write non-fiction articles, books, or other types of material where you talk about your experiences directly. This is also a helpful way to work through your feelings, with the added benefit of helping others, as well.

And third, you can channel your experiences into fiction. This is an indirect way of processing your pain, but it can also be the most powerful way because you can say things in fiction that you could never say in non-fiction. The way you’re saying them is through events and dialogue in your stories.

Whatever pathways you choose, don’t be afraid of your feelings. Don’t stuff them in a box or lock them away. Writing about your pain can bring healing not only for you, but for your readers as well.

The post Three Ways to Write About Your Pain appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.