The Journey is How We Grow by Tynea Lewis

Sometimes as writers there are so many ideas floating around in our heads that it becomes a jumbled mess.

We start pieces because an idea is sparked within us, but we don’t always know how it’s going to end. We type one word, one sentence, one paragraph at a time. Slowly, a piece emerges. Slowly, everything makes sense.

Honestly, I struggled with this post, which is unusual and quite a bit frustrating. When I started, I didn’t know what it was going to look like. As ideas came, I jotted them down, and then it became a puzzle to put together. One piece here, one piece there.

But the more I think of it, isn’t that the joy of writing?

Sometimes you have to welcome the unknown and see it as a journey instead of a destination.

We forget that the journey is how we grow. We learn so many things about ourselves and our writing along the way.

I love the idea of writing notebooks. Everything in one place, neat and tidy. I’ve tried to start them time and time again, but I don’t keep up with them.

My system?

A file folder filed with scraps of paper, torn off napkins, empty gum wrappers.

It might look like trash, but it’s filled with treasure.

Treasure of undiscovered stories, articles, and poems.

I like the fluidity of a folder. It’s easy to move the pieces around. It’s easy to fit the pieces together.

As I reflect on this system, I realize I’ve done it ever since I was little.

There’s a folder in my filing cabinet filled with ideas from elementary school.

There’s a folder in my filing cabinet filled with ideas from high school and college.

And now there’s a folder on my desk filled with little nuggets I capture throughout the day as a mom of two preschoolers.

Collect the ideas.

Store them away.

And you will discover a treasure chest one day.



Tynea Lewis is a former Title I teacher from Pennsylvania. She was named a 30 Under 30 honoree by the International Literacy Association in 2016 for her work with LitPick Student Book Reviews, an online reading and writing program. When she’s not busy overseeing the program or working for Family Friend Poems, she loves to spend time with her husband and young daughters, write for a variety of audiences, and escape to the quietness of the mountains. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @TyneaLewis or on her blog at tynealewis.com.