Today I shared my first writing assignment for my Inspirational Writing class and received great support for my work. My instructor and my peers told me that my short story seemed like it could be developed into a novel. I had a look of fear on my face as I explained, "But I'm so inexperienced." I thought to myself, what a daunting project, to write a novel. I hadn't even written fiction before. My instructor suggested that I either write a memoir or a novel in the third person, weaving fiction into my life. Wow. I was just hoping to write an article worth publishing, but they were encouraging me to write a book. It felt great to receive confirmation that I had something valuable to say. And when my instructor said, "You have a gift for crafting a story," I felt so inspired to reach beyond my limited self-perception. I had confidence as an academic writer, and maybe even an inspirational essayist, but a story teller? I always thought that writing a novel or a fictional story was way too complex and foreign for me. After all, I didn't have a degree in creative writing, so what did I know about story telling? And how could I plot out the entire story in advance?

But it was something that my instructor, Billye Johnson, told me on the first day of class that liberated me. She said, "It's like crafting an Afghan [dress]. You design each little square individually and then sew all of them together." Likewise, she explained, you can write about particular moments in your life, and then find a way to weave them together. Somehow, that simple analogy freed me to write. I didn't have to know how the story would end before I continued writing; I just had to start. I felt so free to let my creative urges dance with abandon. Suddenly, I could enjoy the creative process and liberate my desire to tell my story.

One of my classmates shared her writing, a very moving piece, and then explained how she had originally intended to focus on a different aspect of that story. Our instructor commented that oftentimes you may start out writing about one thing, but then your muse may take you somewhere else.


The funny thing is that I always took the Afghan approach in many other aspects of my life, especially when I would choreograph a dance. I would just let the music slip inside me, like a welcome breeze on a muggy summer's day. I let it move me, inspire me, and surprise me, without worrying about the final outcome. This approach always works best, for when I try to plan the dance too much in advance, it may look beautiful, but when I dance it, it may not express what the music makes me feel. And when the feeling is gone, all is lost, for the audience and the dancer alike.