Humans have two brain hemispheres that talk to each other. For many years it was thought that we were either left- or right-brain dominate in our decision making.
It appears to me that some people make their decisions from a left- or right-brained perspective. My husband is left-brained. Period.
Newer studies seem to indicate that we move back and forth between the hemispheres. I believe that we do move between the hemispheres, but that one is usually dominate.
I don’t fall in either of the above categories; I’m in the remaining 34% of people that don’t seem to have a strong left or right influence, which lends credence to the newer studies’ conclusions.
Regardless, I need to work with both sides of my brain as an author. I wrote about my right brain in the following guest blog post: http://susantuttlewrites.com/2020/10/a-journey-through-my-right-brain-to-my-writers-voice/. This new blog post is my left-brain journey to appreciate my other half, the nerdy side.
When I started writing in 2002, I was under the mistaken opinion that you needed an English or journalism degree to write well. This was an old theme in my life with a current twist. Lacking self-esteem, I was good at negative self-talk.
Whichever side of my brain was talking, I needed to turn off that destructive voice. But how?
I started saying it wasn’t true; that became my mantra, and I would repeat it whenever my negative internal voice dared to speak. That was my first step in a long journey.
Trusting and believing in myself began to happen when I started creating websites and facilitating a writing critique group, which lead to teaching social media classes and later teaching writers how to put their books on Amazon.
While I was training a small group of writers, I was taking classes in poetry, social media and attending writers’ conferences.
The longer I lead the group the more I appreciated their remarkably diverse backgrounds, with or without an English degree. I started to feel at home as the leader.
My last nagging question: What do you bring to the group?
I started by making a list of the group’s members and what they contributed, that help me think of what I contribute. When I asked the group members to look over what I’d written they made a few minor tweaks. Basically, we all appreciated what each person brought to the group.
I’ve developed some deep and lasting friendships during my learning process. I recognized strengths and weakness in the writers. Mostly, I discovered that they were just like me. I trusted them and through their trust in me, I was able to find and appreciate the gifts my left-brain brings to the group and to writing.
I no longer wonder: What the hell am I doing writing this, or, why am I sitting at the head of the table? Both my self-esteem and confidence have grown.
This group has waxed and waned and some writers have moved on. I’m enormously proud to say we’ve produced over thirty books so far.
My latest book is a left-brain creation:
The book’s sequel has examples and is tentatively called Oodles of Blog Post “Examples” and is still in draft stage; hopefully, it will be published in 2022.
Thank you, Debra, for a very interesting and informative article. I’m still not sure if I use either my right or my left brain… sometimes I think I left the whole thing somewhere else! But I guess, if I had to choose, I’m a right-brained person… I react, think, and create from an emotional stand; logic doesn’t enter into it at all. No wonder I can’t figure out my computer! LOL
For more in Debra’s wonderful books, see below:
Debra’s published books:
This ‘n That poetry, with Shirley Radcliff Bruton.
Tales from a Rocky Coast, Volume 1, an anthology with three other authors.
Tears to Laughter, Embracing the Future Without Forgetting the Past, with Jim Leonard.
Debra’s future books:
Oodles of Blog Post Ideas, available in late 2020 or early 2021
Meow Poetry, 1 – 3, available in 2021 – 2022
1 Dictionary.com
2Tom J. Hidvegi: Are You Right-Brained or Left-Brained?… HUFFPOST, 12/29/2013: 10/18/2020, https://www.huffpost.com/