Write What's in Your Heart by Tynea Lewis

Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received has been to write what’s on your heart.

The most truth, passion, and joy will come from writing what’s hidden inside. Don’t worry about what others will think. Don’t try to please them. Sometimes when a message lies heavy on our heart, we need to write it down for no one other than ourselves.

There’s something special in it that no one else can touch. The words sitting in your heart are waiting to pour out.

But where do those ideas come from?

They come from moments we expect to inspire us and moments we don’t. They come from the world around us: the things that make us laugh, cry, and shrink back in fear.

The best writing I’ve done has come from a subtle idea. You know, one that most people wouldn’t even think twice about.

The sound of a distant train whistle.

The ornery look of a child.

The crispness of a fall day.

Snowflakes delicately floating through the sky.

A comment overheard.

Heartbreak experienced.

The words that float into your mind when you’re sitting in stillness.

Allow yourself to be open to ideas from the most random places. That’s where the best ideas are hiding. They are the ones that might make no sense, but once explored, you will see a treasure chest waiting to be opened.

You have to be open to the ideas. Don’t close yourself off to anything. The smallest spark sets a forest ablaze. The smallest thought, word, or sight can ignite a fire within you that can consume.

Capture your ideas. They are so fleeting. Here one moment, gone in the next breath. Reach out and grab them. Snap a picture. Jot down a word. Anything to harness the moment. Expand on it as much as possible, but also give yourself time to allow it to grow. Just like yeast needs time to make bread rise, our ideas need time to grow.

Explore that idea.

Flip it upside down and turn it inside out.

And you will find a beautiful piece waiting to emerge.

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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, working for Family Friend Poems and Write About, 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.