On Saint Teresa of Avila, Neurotic Writer
When you’re sending the manuscript for your next book to your editor on All Saints’ Day, it’s important to give a shoutout to St. Teresa of Avila.
When she sent the second draft of The Book of Her Life to her spiritual director, she reminded him that he promised to tear up the bad parts.
AND she listed all kinds of excuses for why it’s not shiny and sparkly.
AND she begged for feedback and validation from some dude.
She was a neurotic writer too! Just like the rest of us!
I tell my Spiritual Direction for Writers clients about Teresa of Avila’s Writerly Neuroses all the time because we all have our moments.
Some writers are just better at hiding it.
Writing can wring you out, turn you inside out, make you wonder Why Do We Even Do This?
We do it because it’s what we do, it’s who we are. And sometimes things get a little dramatic.
Here’s a portion of the note St. Teresa of Avila included with the second draft of The Book of Her Life:
“I did what you commanded me and enlarged upon the material. I did this on the condition that you do what you promised by tearing up what appears to you to be bad. I hadn’t finished reading it after the writing was done when you sent for it. It could be that some of the things are poorly explained and others put down twice, for I had so little time I couldn’t read over what I wrote. I ask you to correct it and have it transcribed if it is to be brought to Padre Maestro Avila, for it could happen that someone might recognize my handwriting. I urgently desire that he be asked for his opinion about it, since this was my intention in beginning to write.”
Your writerly neuroses are not uncommon. Trust me.
If Saint Teresa of Avila can freak out about her writing, we can freak out about our writing (and everything that comes with the business of writing and our work that is tangentially connected to our writing).
Much love to everyone who holds space for the drama.✨
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Originally published on Instagram
More on Saint Teresa of Avila and her writerly neuroses coming in my next book!