
Words have power…
As a writer you don’t need us to tell you the power of words. Words are our best and most precious commodity, but do you ever stop to think about the power of the words you use to speak to yourself, as a writer?
Do you allow yourself to say things like:
“I’m never going to get this finished”
“This is rubbish!”
“I’ll never get this published.”
Do you believe that this will have an impact on your future?
No? Why wouldn’t it? If someone else was saying those things to you, you would take it onboard and it would knock your confidence, so why wouldn’t your unconscious pay attention to your inner monologue too?
What is the different between intention and affirmation?
Well, briefly, intentions are the words we use to determine what we want to achieve, similar to goals. We set our intention to achieve something and because we have said we will do it, we are much more likely to achieve it.
Affirmations are a little more complicated. They are specifically phrased statements that we repeat to ourselves, preferably out loud, until we believe them and make them happen.
How do you word an affirmation?
The power of affirmations comes from the fact that we speak them as though they have already happened. So they must be in the present tense and always be positive, so watch your phrasing.
For example, don’t say “I never run out of energy” instead say “I always have energy in abundance”. Do you see the distinction? In the first example our unconscious might hear “run out of energy” rather than “never run out of energy”. It is the same principle as when I was teaching, we would always shout “WALK!” Not, “DON’T RUN!”.


Working out what you need to focus on
So know you know how to use these powerful wordy tools, how are you going to use them to help you, as a writer?
Well, firstly, you can set an intention for your writing. Sit and think about what you need to work on. Do you need to focus more, or meet a particular deadline, maybe you want to improve a certain aspect of your writing, such a dialogue?
Once you know what you need to focus on, you can write out your intention. You can even give it a time frame. Once you have written it, you can sit with your intention and see how it feels.
Ideally it should feel a little bit scary, but achievable. Then write it down and put it somewhere you will see it regularly. Frame it and put it on your desk, write it in your planner or journal. Make it your screensaver.
As for affirmations these are more often things you need to learn to believe, as opposed to things you need to work towards. So you might choose something like “My creativity is unlimited” or ” Writing is something I am good at, and I get better every day” or even “I prioritise my writing” if you need to believe that it’s ok to take time out of your day to write.
Once you have crafted your affirmation say it to yourself several times a day in the mirror, repeat it to yourself regularly, put it on a post-it on your mirror so that you are reminded every time you get ready. The more you see it and hear it, the quicker the impact.
Have we convinced you of the power of words as a tool for helping you achieve your writing dreams as well as to help you write your book? Let us know if you choose an affirmation and we will start posting them on our social media to inspire others (anonymously if you prefer).
Look out for more blogs on nonfiction writing and wellbeing for writers each month. And if you need a little motivation and to develop a regular writing habit, why not join us in the Writer’s Forge for our online accountability sessions? It’s working for us!