A Growth Mindset Around the Skill of Writing

Kathryn Britton’s Monday writing workshop, online. Photo courtesy of the author.

Writing is a wonderful way to bring positive psychology to the world. Whether people want to write books, blogs, articles, proposals, or dissertations, being able to convey clear messages that are rooted in research but alive with story helps writers reach a broader audience than the people they see face to face.

Many people run into immense road blocks as they try to write. Sometimes they sit with a blank piece of paper and no words come. Sometimes they fail to sit down at all. Sometimes they fear that they don’t have anything new to say. Some hear disparaging voices from the past telling them that they can’t write.

Even people who thoroughly believe in growth mindsets, that we can get better with effort, tell themselves, “I am not a writer.”

How do I know? I have been working with writers since I graduated in 2006, first as the editor of Positive Psychology News (PPND) and then, since 2013, as the leader of writers’ workshops that turn the lonely work of writing into a hive activity, that is, a collective activity where people provide each other mutual support.

At this point, I’ve edited more than 1500 PPND articles and led more than 800 workshops that have reviewed more than 1500 submissions. I’ve also worked with a few solo authors as a writing coach. Working with about 100 authors has taught me the following lessons about people and writing:

People do not necessarily see what is strong in their own writing until other people point it out. One writer this week was nonplused to hear that the short draft that she disparagingly called “a last-minute bit of something,” prompted another workshop member to say she was a great writer.

Writing is a communication activity, but it’s often performed in solitude. Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it! Participating in a writers’ workshop invites other people to contribute to the creative process. They help

writers see whether their audiences are likely to understand the intended message. They help writers see what should be retained, whatever else is changed. They humbly submit suggestions for making pieces even stronger. I find it fun when two participants disagree about a suggestion. This reminds writers that there are all sorts of readers out there.

People think the first draft should be good to go, so they are often nervous about submitting their work. I’ve found that first drafts are just the necessary first step for a process of revising first for content, then for structure, and finally for the little distractors that we call “twinkies” that are

not worth mentioning unless the piece is nearly finished. Workshops help people get over this fear of not being good enough both because everybody else is submitting in-process drafts and because we pay attention to what’s already strong in the piece submitted.

Writing is a skill that gets better with practice and paying attention. We are all surprised to experience the paradox of workshops: Paying attention to somebody else’s writing builds the reviewers’ skill as much as paying attention to their own writing. Reading a piece multiple times to prepare to summarize the key takeaway, point out the strengths, and make suggestions, people see things that otherwise might go past them: new ways of organizing, new ways of using vibrant language, new ways to hook the reader, new ways to cite research that will make people curious, new ways to end on a strong note.

Having an external deadline is crucial for people who don’t (yet) love writing for its own sake. Otherwise, writing is often considered important but not urgent, and thus stays on the back burner. Sometimes with practice, people get over the dread of writing and grow to look forward to the time spent capturing thoughts. But until then, deadlines such as workshop commitments help them keep practicing.

Many people already have major writing pieces, such as capstone projects to meet degree requirements. Sometimes these can be translated for the general public. Caroline Miller developed her MAPP capstone into the book, Creating Your Best Life. Andrew Brady is almost finished turning his capstone into a book, The Evolution of Business. Frawn Morgan has written several blog pieces targeted at the working mothers that she studied for her capstone.

Sometimes writing is the way to deal with a major life crisis, to turn pain and terror into a helping hand for others facing the same difficulties. Alicia Assad has written numerous blogs and articles about how she pulled through the scald burn injury of her toddler son. Karen Warner has almost completed the book that will give others the guidance she craved when she suddenly became the caregiver of her husband who had terminal cancer.

Life is full of story seeds. It’s common knowledge that stories make messages sticky, but writers often struggle to make up the stories they need. But some writers pay attention to the stories that are happening around them or on the news. They keep story logs in notebooks or Evernote of interesting things they experience or observe. Planted in the right place, these story seeds become powerful illustrations.

Working with others to get better at writing can be a great way to practice positive psychology principles, such as pointing out strengths and nurturing growth mindsets in each other.

If you feel you are not a good writer, remember to say, “Yet.”