Writing that goes beyond practical communication has been a part of my life since elementary school. Journaling. Writing stories. News writing. Academic papers. Business writing. Blog posts. Web content for clients. Even a little poetry. Expression through the written word is to some extent a comfort zone for me.
Writing helps me think. It helps me work out problems. Writing helps me plan and make decisions. In many ways, writing is thinking and thinking is writing for me. I just don’t feel like myself if I’m not spending part of my day writing in some way, even if it’s work related.
Writing a book, even though it’s not lengthy, stretched these comfort zones. Technology has changed. Processes have changed. There are many more options for writing and all its ancillary activity than ever before. I’m not sure these have made the process of writing and publishing a book easier, either.
Comfortably Uncomfortable started with my comfort zone of writing and expanded into some very uncomfortable areas. New technology. The self-publishing process. Sharing personal stories. Talking about myself. Admitting failures and weaknesses. Asking for help.
Still, at the base of it all is writing. Plan. Write. Revise. Edit. Proofread. Though so much else about writing has changed, the process has not. There are more ways to carry out that process, sure, but I don’t need anything but that process to write and produce something I’m happy with. The writing process, really, is a comfort zone that is foundational to my writing life.
Discussion: What aspect of your life has long been a part of your life? What comfort zone(s) lie at the heart of it? Write your reflection in the comment section below.
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