You're not just a writer

You're a whole damn person

Hey, Runners!

If you are past your twenties, you were probably raised in an environment in which you were told to separate the personal and the professional.

The professional part of your life is:

• Getting shit done

• Getting it done perfectly

• Expert opinions, but only when specifically asked for

• Keeping your cool

• Spreadsheets

• Emails

The personal part of your life is:

• Getting shit done

• Getting it done perfectly

• Thoughts

• Feelings

• Personal opinions

• Laughter

• Vulnerability

• Connection

We are instructed to keep these things separate, because it is inappropriate to do otherwise.

But… I mean… come on.

That’s not possible. Even if you’re doing business, you are still a person doing business. Everything you do, every day, is always personal, because you are a person doing it.

The pressure to engage in this impossible compartmentalization is even worse for writers.