A Novel Idea

From a young age, I would be willing to bet that many of you were under the impression that to be a great writer or other creative type was a matter of luck - you're either born to be a gifted scribe or you're not. The older (and hopefully) wiser I become, I find this notion to be both false and a bit insulting.

I spent many years fighting the urge to choose writing as a profession because every single thing that I wrote wasn't a divine masterpiece. Seeing English papers that looked like they had been stabbed to death made me feel stifled and defeated. Especially when I chose to flex my creative muscles and write in a nontraditional manner. I couldn't understand why being creative was a bad thing.

I've recently started working with an amazing organization called A Novel Idea (ANI). This summer I am assisting with a novel writing camp that has kids ages 9-16 working on their first (and even second) novels. It's an amazing feeling to see someone so young accomplishing such a major task - a task that most adults are too terrified to ever attempt. Watching these young, fresh creatives powering through word after word is incredibly inspiring - pushing me forward in my own writing.

After camp wraps up, I will be setting out as a Wordy Instructor for ANI's Pen & Paper Club. This marvelous after school (or before school) program is offered to wordy bird kids throughout participating public and private schools in the Nashville area. I will be teaching these kiddos how to write things like haikus, odes, prose, and short stories - all with a dose of passion and no judgement. Writing feeds the soul and this program gives them the tools they need to express themselves through the written word without facing the dreaded red ink staring back at them and potentially stifling their creativity. It inspires them to write from the heart and without fear - because the more they write, the more they WILL become a better in their writing.

Just like an athlete or musician must practice, so must a writer. We aren't all born with "the gift" but we are born with the ability to work hard at something we love. It took me until my late 20s to muster up the courage to finally try my hand at writing as a career - and every day that I meld words together makes me feel more alive. Every writer that I admire has the same important golden nugget of advice - you must practice your craft EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Hard work and diligence - THAT is the key to being a good writer (or anything for that matter). Life doesn't generally just hand you what you want without putting forth the effort. I now try to write every single day in some capacity. Some days it is absolute rubbish - and that's okay. Failure and rejection go hand in hand with any successful journey. That is where you often learn and grow the most.

I wish that A Novel Idea existed when I was a teenager. Maybe it wouldn't have taken me almost 30 years to let go of the fear and put in the hard work to be a writer.

Better late than never.


Peace, Love, + Scribe,


Bekah

banishing "fat"

"I'm so FAT."

People don't realize the impact of those words. Often times they throw variations of that phrase around when they've either eaten too much or are feeling a bit pudgier than usual. It's far too overused and I know I've been guilty of it after devouring an entire package of Oreos (we've all been there). Here's the problem though. By using that word to describe things like poor eating choices or an extra 5lbs gained, we are actually shaming ourselves...and others in the process.

Why do I hate this word so much? Let me break it down for you.

I have struggled with body image and eating disorders throughout my life. It started during those awkward early teenage years when my body went berserk and decided to carve out all of these womanly curves in my body. When you are one of the early bloomers, you often become a target of objectification by teenage boys and the hate/envy of the girls on a slower course. I didn't know what to do with all of that attention and instead of speaking to someone about it (I now know the glories of therapy), I decided to either eat or starve my feelings. 

I want you to imagine this for a moment - you're surrounded by pervy teenage boys ogling you, while the girls are either curve shaming you or hating on their own thinner bodies. It was too many conflicting emotions for this already overly sensitive teen. I could easily take the slurs because I was smart enough to know it was usually coming from a place of jealousy. What really got to me was their own self criticism. All I see are these perfectly toned, beautiful teenage girls calling themselves fat, talking about chubby thighs and their imaginary muffin tops. Naturally, overly hormonal and hyper self-critical teenage Bekah is looking at her own body and thinking "my legs are far more stout...they actually TOUCH - and my stomach is BIGGER than any of those girls. So...are they calling ME fat?" 

In my young self-conscious and distorted eyes, absolutely.

For many years, I went through vicious cycles of binging, purging, crash dieting, and starving my body. Even though I have finally come to accept and love my body in all of its womanly curve glory (on most days), I still cringe when I hear someone who is smaller than me call their self "fat". On an intellectual level, I understand what they probably mean -- they don't feel healthy or comfortable in their own skin. However, the former eating disorder in me does the comparison act. It's a dreadful habit that I hope to one day break, but what I would also like to see is people saying what they really mean instead of using such harsh words so lightly. I fully understand the need to improve yourself, to feel strong and comfortable in your own body. You know what you are capable of and when you might not feel like you are at your best, so say THAT instead of "I'm Fat".

We already live in such a critical world where women in particular are held to such INSANE standards of beauty. So why are we further contributing to it by using these negative words with such ease. You never know who is listening and how it might affect them -- like a young impressionable girl struggling with her own changing body.

Perhaps we should all take the time to be more aware of others, be kinder to ourselves, and for the love of all that is good and holy - stop using that hideous word!

Peace, Love, + Fat Out,

Bekah