Writer to Writer: On Ghostbusting and Writing the Truest Sentence

Writing is not ghostbusting until you sit down and write the most actual sentence you know. That sentence, if you let it, can turn into a memoir.

So much has changed for me since I decided to write about myself that I sometimes wonder if I still want to write about myself. Do I still want to confront and engage with these ghosts? Do I still want to open doors I once worked hard to keep closed?

The answer is yes.

Yes, because words hold power and meaning. Yes, because I have been given a gift that I should not waste because of fear. And yes, because writing the truest sentence often reveals emotions we forgot, ignored, or buried simply because we could not process them in real time.

What I have learned is this: when you sit down to write honestly, the work does not move in straight lines. It spirals. It revisits old weather systems inside the body. And sometimes, what surfaces surprises us.

I have also learned to accept that emotions are like the weather—they fluctuate. They pass through. They do not ask for permission, and they do not stay forever.

That acceptance has helped me keep going, even when I am uncertain of the destination. And writer to writer, these are some of the steps that have helped me move through the ghostbusting stage instead of getting stuck inside it.

• Block out time in your calendar for writing every day. If you cannot commit to an hour, commit to ten or fifteen minutes. You can build from there. Consistency matters more than duration.

• Study your craft. If you are writing a memoir, fill your bookshelves with memoirs. Learn how other writers navigate memory, voice, and truth. And read widely, too—your work needs air.

• Release perfection. Perfection is not the goal. Good storytelling is the goal.

• Keep a journal. Not everything belongs in the manuscript, but everything belongs somewhere.

• Join a writing community. Writing is solitary work, but it should not be lonely work.

• Set your goals around the life you have, not the life you wish you had. Sustainable writing lives are built on realism, not fantasy.

Starting with these steps can help alleviate fear and uncertainty. Blocking out time to work on your manuscript or journal supports your mental health and enables you to work through writer’s block by creating a living database of ideas. Studying your craft teaches you how to cut the fat and keep your language precise. Writing communities offer perspective, accountability, and care. And setting realistic goals reduces the start-stop cycle that keeps so many writers from finishing their work.

The ghostbusting stage is necessary. As writers, we often meet ourselves in the stories we choose to tell. We encounter old versions of ourselves, unresolved questions, and memories that still carry weight.

The critical thing to remember is this: this stage will pass—if you choose to write through it.

And sometimes, choosing to write through it is the bravest sentence you can put on the page.

Writer to Writer | H. WordSmith Reads

This series is a quiet exchange between writers who believe that words carry responsibility. Here, we speak honestly about the work behind the work—the fear, the discipline, the staying. If something here steadies you, keep it. Then return to the page.