Our final moments together were slipping away. The light outside our classroom had taken on a mournful gray hue. None of us wanted our workshop to end, even though we all longed to sleep in our own beds.
We’d spent the last hour discussing the most important tenets of revision and the three lessons our instructor, Mitchell Jackson, hoped we’d absorb: recursion, repetition, and the power of sonic sentences.
As he slipped his notes into his bag, he shared his final bit of wisdom: Lead with your strengths. Whatever you do well—whether it’s scene writing, metaphorical language, musicality, insights, or intimate details—make it your greatest strength and capitalize on it in every piece of writing.
How do you identify your writing strengths?
Try these exercises:
- Pay attention to the types of writing you gravitate toward. Are you enamored with the lyric form? Do you love straightforward, scene-driven narratives? When you read, is plot your focus, or do you study the writer’s sentences?
- Identify what you love to do. Are you a metaphor maven, scene writer, or structure aficionado?
- Note the praise given consistently by feedback partners. List your greatest attributes and find ways to improve upon them.
The Sweet Way I Discovered My Writing Strengths
After Mitchell left to catch his plane, we shared the strengths we’d observed in each other’s work. Taking it all in brought a few tears. I felt so seen and so known. I will be forever grateful to these beautiful writers for what they shared—some of which I’d never considered.
I’m taking July off again this year so I can play, rest, spend time with family and friends, write, and joyfully build upon the strengths my beautiful cohort shared with me. I hope that whatever you do in the coming weeks nourishes your soul. If you’re looking for a fun way to plan for the fall and beyond, stay tuned for July’s Saturn in Aries series, where I’ll share some exercises designed to help you make the most of our current three-year writing cycle.
Before I take my leave, I want to thank each of you for subscribing to this Substack and for supporting me over the years. I’m so grateful to walk this journey alongside you. When doubts inevitably creep in, or when I wonder if it’s all worth it, the love you share through your comments and engagement spurs me forward and helps me always—always—write on.
Warmly,
Lisa
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