Do We Write Best When We Bleed?
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There is a very famous quote from Ernest Hemingway about writing.
The quote goes on like this:
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
The first time I read this quote, I already felt some truth in it though it wasn’t until much later on that I was able to appreciate it more deeply.
And while we don’t have typewriters anymore, we can all relate to sitting in front of our computer screens, wondering what we could write next, thinking about the best way to get our message across to our readers.
How do we find the right words to express all the things we want to say?
And how do we touch our readers in such a way that we can even influence their lives?
One time, while I was reviewing my past articles, I realized that the most viewed ones were those that I wrote while trying to dig into my very heart and soul.
It wasn’t that I didn’t give my heart and soul to my other writings. But in those that stood out, I could definitely see how deeply and how passionately I was able to give it my all.
I wasn’t just doing a routine or making an outline based on some keywords. I wasn’t merely trying to meet a deadline.
But I was fully there, and I wrote each word as though I were drawing them straight from my deepest wounds!
What are wounds?
They are the parts of you that have made a mark in your life. Some may still ache while some may have healed. Nevertheless, they have made an imprint upon your life.
Here are some wounds you can draw from when writing:
-past regrets and lessons
-struggles you are going through
-an injustice you want to fix
-compassion for the lost
-past challenges
-concerns for others and the world
-a dream yet to be fulfilled
-a sin or weakness you want to overcome
-an important value you want to stand for
One Substack blog writing from the depths of one’s wound and healing include Create Soul Space by
, a domestic abuse survivor who writes about redemptive suffering.Another one is the Diary of a Stumbling Saint, by
who writes about her spiritual journey from being a confused New Ager to being a Catholic.If your Substack also comes from a place of woundedness and healing, feel free to share it with us in the comments below.
It is important to remember that you shouldn’t touch or re-open a wound if it would be risky for your mind, body or soul.
Use only those wounds that you were able to overcome or that you can now manage without being overcome by them.
What happens when you write from your wounds?
1. You write spontaneously
You experience that kind of flow in your feelings and thoughts that naturally come out.
2. You write with feelings
Your articles don’t look as though they were written by a robot. People will know that they were written by a human being.
3. People can relate with you more
Other people who have similar wounds can relate to your experience.
4. You write with sincerity
People can feel the sincerity in your words.
Final Thoughts
It isn’t easy drawing from your wounds. You have to be honest with yourself. And you may face some thoughts or memories that could urge you to reassess your whole life.
But if you write with your wounds, you take the chance to grow along with your work. If you face your wounds, you may discover some that still need to be taken care of and healed.
Not every writer may find this beneficial, but there are some whose pen could only be set free with pain.
Some writers do best when they’re the most comfortable. But some writers like me write best when we bleed.
“They tell me I must bruise
The rose's leaf,
Ere I can keep and use
Its fragrance brief.
"They tell me I must break
The skylark's heart,
Ere her cage song will make
The silence start.
They tell me love must bleed,
And friendship weep,
Ere in my deepest need
I touch that deep.
Must it be always so
With precious things?
Must they be bruised and go
With beaten wings?
Ah, yes! by crushing days,
By caging nights, by scar
Of thorn and stony ways,
These blessings are!”
- L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert
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