“Stories enhance, elaborate, and develop … Existence is not flattened out on the graph paper of analysis; it comes alive in the movements of a drama in which some of the actions and speeches are still to be written.”
Eugene Peterson
Many writers who think they lack the self-discipline to be as productive as they’d like look into joining a writers group or seeking out an accountability partner. I’m all for structure, up to a point. In writers groups, you have to be sure it’s actually encouraging you to write, and not just talk about writing.
As for accountability partners, choose them carefully.
Mark S. Dorn wrote a piece a number of years ago in the Discipleship Journal (July/August 1996) in which he pointed out that accountability is not about checklists, but about being in relationship with others, sharing lives. One way, he said, to bring people out of isolation is to “tell our stories.” When it comes to writers helping writers, those stories fall into three categories: stories about life, stories about writing, and stories about the specific writing project you’re working on. Back to Dorn’s article. He went on to quote Eugene Peterson from his book, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work: “Stories enhance, elaborate, and develop … Existence is not flattened out on the graph paper of analysis; it comes alive in the movements of a drama in which some of the actions and speeches are still to be written.”
Dorn then pulls from M. Scott Peck’s book, A Different Drum, when he writes that, “community seems to happen best in crisis. Lived honestly, he says, life is a crisis — difficult, surprising, overwhelming. Storytelling opens our eyes to life as riveting drama, rather than as rigid standard-keeping.”
The hard part, and one in which the right accountability partner may help, is to learn to see and record those “riveting dramas” either to be used “as is” (memoir) or to inform other writing projects or even just your own general understanding of life. You’ll need to be open to a close relationship with a like-minded writer, a little ahead of your inexperience, who is willing to both mentor and hold you accountable.
Dorn reminds us, “Seventy-five percent of our Bible comes to us as narrative — unvarnished, disturbing, energizing stories of God’s real dealings with real people. If God chose to capture our hearts through a story, why do we not tell the chapters of our stories to one another?”
Yes, and if we see the value in sharing these “chapters” of our lives, our stories and collected hard-won wisdom through daily lessons learned throughout our lives … why not also share them with others? From family members who come into the world after us, to those with whom we have no connection except through the written word on a page or screen. Writing and sharing your stories can be an invaluable gift of generosity, encouragement, and strength-sharing; so whether you go it alone, join a group or find a mentor, remember to keep writing. It’s important.