A Thread to Begin

A post for creatives & writers, featuring Anne Lamott inspiration & A writer's tapas meal, class invitation

I recently wrote about pulling the threads of things and finding connections in a previous post. After, I pulled Ann Lamott’s Operating Instructions out of the library. Let me reshape the quote for you which totally gutted me when I read it; here it is, again:

“I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it means to be human, to have the darkness just as much as the light- that in fact the dark parts make the light visible; without them, the light would disappear. But I guess he has to figure other stuff out first, like how to keep his neck from flopping all over the place and how to sit up.”

I kept rereading this quote because Ann poked at a discrepancy that was asking to be seen, the idea that we are meant to execute machine-like perfection in the utter chaos and innate messiness that is being human. We can’t. We are both perfection and broken, and what an utterly powerless place it is to observe that while holding a newborn.

Then I had another thought: how did she capture this clarity? how did she remember all of these little points of brilliance that is watching a newborn settle into being alive here on Earth in sunlit mornings and moon shadows of deep night; those nights that coexist alongside the nights that you used to have, when you slept soundly only responsible for your own soul. A friend of mine said early on in my motherhood, “You never sleep the same as a mother.” It’s true. How did Ann have the time to write this? I wondered.

I flipped to Acknowledgements (which I do a lot more now since publishing, curious how other writers occupy this interstitial space) and I uncovered some gold:

“It’s had to know were to begin. This book would not exist if my old agent, Ann Thomas had not more or less insisted that I type up the journal I kept of my son’t first year.”

You know the one word that popped out at me — which is why I love authors like Lamott that write so true and lean that one word matters — old. That meant the person that lit the flame for this incredible work was not the name that got it published, and I skimmed dow to see that I was right. Chuck did. That’s her new agent. But, Ann is the one that knew it was time for her to begin, before Ann Lamott could see it herself. I love when life does this. Stacks the deck in our favor if we are only willing to listen.

There is something so pleasing about a small, beautifully arranged plate. You get to taste and see: Do I like this? Do I want more? Is this right for me? Is this the right time for me? Ann Lamott didn’t write her book when she was single-parenting a newborn. No, she caught the gems when her tribe was cooing to her son. She heeded the advice of a trusted advisor, her agent, that tapped into her knowing that she only need begin. She didn’t need to know where she was going, just begin.

The funny thing about that line — The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step — is how true it is. I don’t know why Ann switched agents; I don’t know Chuck from Adam, but I do know she had a journal of precious perspective to draw from when she needed it.

When it is time to begin anything, there are a thousand options and that sounds great, but it can also be so overwhelming. Often we shut down, walk away in overwhelm, or sputter at the idea that what we are called to do is worthy. But when it is broken down in one step, one courageous foot in front of the other, we start to gain momentum and possibility.

A little bit of education goes such a long way — in everything. Imagine standing in front of this care of delectable options during a lunch rush: overwhelm. Imagine a friend asking you before you arrive if you are in the mood for a burger or a Mediterranean veggie vibe? All of a sudden the looming display doesn’t feel so wildly overwhelming. You lock in on one taste and build around it. Or like Ann, you sit down and scribble out your ideas and observations) and then wait for the moment to bring it from an idea to a bookstore shelf, but in each case you have to Begin.

If you are here, you love words. Keep loving them and building your capacity to choose them wisely, whether in an article or an attempt to talk to someone you cherish.

If you are curious that maybe you are ready to write your words, but are standing in front of the display case frozen on the first step. My colleague

Claudine Wolk

and I have created something for you to Begin to Write Your Book the Write Way. Everything Claudine and I have done comes from — been down that road and going to help the next writer avoid the pothole — mentality. This tapas meal course came from talking to writers who weren’t quite ready for the whole enchilada of a novel writing intensive. (this is called running a metaphor by the way, once an English teacher…) Igniting a writer is the most fun work ever, so Claudine and I created Begin to help curious, aspiring writers, at a low-cost investment to get a lay of the land of writing. It’s self-paced and stacked with resources so you can revisit them as you grow. That way you can focus on your creativity with a roadmap on how to Begin.

Trimming your joy does not save you time. It leaves us dehydrated and malnourished. Don’t do that to you. If you feel the spark to ignite your ideas, lean in & Begin

You can hear us talk about it here:

And if you are in the Bucks County area of PA (I know our readers are everywhere…) but if you are local.

Claudine Wolk

and I are the keynote table at the Local Author Expo, helping all lovers of the written word. Some come say hi!