I'm Emily P. Freeman and welcome to The Next Right Thing.

You're listening to Episode 362.

This is a podcast about making decisions but also about making a life.

If you struggle with decision fatigue, chronic hesitation,

or if you just need a few minutes away from the constant stream of information

and the sometimes

delightful but distracting hum of entertainment, you're in the right place for discerning

your next right thing.

As an author, a spiritual director, and an occasional workshop leader, I live in North

Carolina with my family, and through my work, I've helped thousands of spiritually

thoughtful people overcome decision fatigue so that they can discern their next right thing in

faith, work, and life. Well, if one of your next right things has anything to do with writing,

then today's episode is for you. It's been a minute since I've dedicated an

entire episode to the craft of writing, but today's that day, engaging in writing as a spiritual

exercise has many gifts to share beyond publishing. If that's something you've been wanting

to explore, I hope you'll listen in.

In her book, The Memoir Project,

Marian Roach Smith tells the story of being asked what she does for work at gatherings,

and she would always reply, I'm a writer.

Oftentimes, in fact, she says nearly everyone would tell her that they hope to one day write a book when they retire, and she would wish them the

best of luck and go on her way. But she would wonder, what's wrong with me that I'm devoting my

whole life to writing when clearly other people who were smarter than I

...