How many times have you heard someone say that their art is their therapy? It’s so common that it has become a cliché. But there can be some truth to the statement if you approach your writing with intentionality toward making it more therapeutic. Here’s how:

It Requires Empathy

Unless you’re writing a memoir, the process of writing is going to force you into another person’s perspective. And even if it is a memoir, you’re going to have to reach back into who you were at the time your story was taking place. Basically, you’re going to have to imagine someone else complexly in order to write them in a way that readers find enticing. It’s a great practice for your own life in a safe space. Taking the time to imagine your antagonist now can help you the next time you get stuck on the wrong side of an interaction with a Karen provided you take the time to internalize the experience and build upon it.

It's Done Better When You Feel Your Emotions

Therapists tout the secret to good emotional regulation is getting used to feeling uncomfortable in our emotions, listening to them, and then letting them go. The same is true for writing emotions. If you’re hoping to elicit an emotional response from readers, saying your main character feels stressed out isn’t going to do it. Instead, you have to be able to describe how the emotion feels in their body. Like dull pain radiating down their arms to the point where their fingers feel stiff. And the best way to understand and describe these emotions is to sit with them, feel them in your body, and then use that experience to communicate more effectively.

It Roleplays Conflict Resolution

Anybody else have a therapist that’s frequently trying to get them to roleplay when learning new communication strategies for what feels like high-stakes conversations? Getting better at these kinds of skills requires practice, and practice is easiest in safe spaces before you are able to use it in uncomfortable situations. In your story, it’s likely you’re hoping to build up interesting conflicts to draw readers in. But writing thorough story resolutions gives you a great opportunity to practice conflict communications as well in one of the safest places you can—on the page. By taking the time to give your characters the words to apologize, gently set boundaries, or make compromises instead of an unspoken, understood resolution, you’re giving yourself those same skills.

It Prioritizes Joy

Let’s be real. The financial side of publishing a book likely won’t be a huge payoff whether you go for the traditional or self-publishing route—at least not compared to the time spent. So, it’s likely that you’re writing, editing, and seeking mutuals because it brings you some kind of personal fulfillment that puts you first before others. Therapy is the same, and both can lead to better versions of yourself if that is your goal. You’re deserving of doing things just because they make you feel good. But because writing is about feeling good, remember it’s okay to take breaks or to change what you’re working on when it just doesn’t feel that way. Writing is hard work, but it doesn’t have to be torture.

Progress Goes Further with Collaboration

There is an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” These days, writing a book and running a marathon are often thought of as the last individual human achievements. But even the most individualistic writers are working in collaboration with others. You’re always going to be collaborating with your future readers to find the best way to share your story. How many ideas in your book came from something someone else said? How much less interesting would it be without those parts? It's for this same reason that many authors seek help even after their first draft is complete. Working with beta readers, query package specialists, and editors to help fill authorial gaps is going to give you a leg up in going further to attract readers or find an agent. And honestly, it’s nice to have a team cheering you on and supporting you through the hellscape that is querying.