Introducing Questions with Kait!

thoughts on the writer's life

Friends, I am so excited to finally launch our new series, Questions with Kait!

I’m in Arizona this weekend for my last speaking event of 2022, and I am really looking forward to settling into a quiet rhythm as the holiday season and winter approaches.

I’ve been looking over the questions you’ve sent me so far for this series, and I’ve got to tell you, I love you’re approaching this with so much thoughtfulness and care. Being a writer is such a unique thing, and I am so excited to share parts of my journey with you.

So, let’s get to our first question!

Larry asks:

I have written so many pieces in my head and heart, and know that I can write reasonably well, but how does one start that piece that may have been germinating for years, but seems too overwhelming to begin? And, how can we find value in the things we write, that may not be very "good" but may have value in their very existence?

Thank you so much for your question, Larry. This is something that I think many writers struggle with—those thoughts and ideas and dreams that ruminate inside us, often for years before we bring them to the page.

I’m going to answer you in a few different ways, and I hope that it helps spark ideas for how this could play out in your own writing life.

First, examine your story. At a recent event, a man insisted that I

TELL one of my stories instead of reading it to him. At first I was a bit flustered, because I didn’t have the notes in front of me. I was telling myself that I wasn’t ready. But our stories live inside of us! They ARE us. So let’s ask ourselves these questions:

How do we LIVE our stories before we write them down? How long should they simmer in us before they spill over and out?