Devotion & dedication to writing
Recently I vowed to myself to blog more often, out of my desire to write and share with others. I have consistently written my weekly newsletter for over six years, so I am not a stranger to this process. Now that I have more spaciousness in my schedule, I feel ready to build my stamina and publish more than once a week.
In today’s post I’d like to share how I am approaching this intention to write more by considering the nuances of dedication and devotion and how each can apply to a writing practice.
Eight of Pentacles (Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck)
PHASE 1: DEDICATION
When I first started to take my desire to write seriously, I thought in terms of goals and craft. I dedicated myself to the practice of writing.
I tracked the number of words I wrote every day, took classes and workshops, and read widely to understand what goes into good books and sentences. Diligence was the name of the game: steady, earnest effort towards a writing project.
While taking various workshops I started many writing projects that I still cherish today. I wrote essays, short stories, and even started a novel about a K-pop idol turned recluse. At the start of the pandemic I tried my best to uphold my dedicated efforts, writing 750 words every morning before starting my day job.
Dedication appealed to me because it spoke a language I understood. I could operate on a rigid schedule; the academic and corporate worlds trained me to do so. But as the pandemic dragged on and my mental health started tanking, dedicating to writing my novel was no longer tenable. I found no enjoyment in the process of writing beyond checking off completed tasks.
The dedicated, disciplined approach is represented in the tarot card Eight of Pentacles. The man hammers away making coins, steadily working in concentration. He appears completely focused on his task, no question in his head that he will continue to work until the work is complete.
There are times in our creative practice when we need to work this way. Dedication is needed to carry the messy middle of a creative project into completion. I also believe it’s truly helpful in the beginning of establishing a creative practice. Even a small “sprint” of writing 100 words every day, dedicating to the completion of the task as a way into a habitual writing practice, will serve well.
But there are times we need to shift away from dedication into a more spiritual, heartfelt practice to remember why we wish to create at all.
“Why do we write? A chorus erupts. Because we cannot simply live.”
Page of Pentacles (Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck)
PHASE 2: DEVOTION
When dedicating to a practice feels too heavy, rigid, or deadening, devotion waits in the corner offering a different path.
When I fell out of love with all of my writing projects, I turned to my newsletter as the main writing container. I had initially started this newsletter project to document my weekly progress with The Artist’s Way, but wasn’t sure what to do with it once I completed the twelve week program.
“What if I show up and write to listen to myself, to discover what I want to say?”
This became my guiding question in 2020 as I opened up the text editor every other week, writing a short essay to my fifty subscribers. I wrote about a variety of topics including K-pop and my family, social media anxiety, and humanity as part of nature. Each post comprised of whatever I was most fascinated with exploring at the time.
Through these newsletter essays I became more and more devoted to the act of writing. Rather than wanting to write to actualize a project idea, I wrote to discover and clarify questions I had of myself and of the world. Writing became a conversation with myself and other writers, and sharing it allowed
In tarot, I consider the card of devotion to be the Page of Pentacles. Here is another man, but he is not in the work grind. He holds a coin with tenderness and fascination. There is real curiosity in his eyes, and he is grounded in body and nature as he tends to this curiosity.
AM I NEEDING DEDICATION OR DEVOTION?
Dedication and devotion is a cyclical process, much like the ouroboros that feeds on itself. Applying yourself to a goal or a project in a dedicated manner will feed your love and devotion for the practice. And devoting to the practice in a curious, spacious way will allow your dedicated efforts to proceed more smoothly and joyfully.
To determine whether you need dedication or devotion to your writing (or creative practice), ask yourself the following:
Am I craving spaciousness (A) or structure (B)?
Am I discovering what I want to create (A) or am I committed to a project/goal (B)?
If I were to read a book about my creative practice, would I reach for an inspirational book (A) or a how-to craft book (B)?
If you picked mostly A’s, you’re leaning towards devotion. If you picked B’s, you’re craving more dedication. Whichever choice you arrived at, see how it lands in your body. If you feel disappointed by the answer, it may not be the right one. But if you feel resistance with a hint of intrigue, it’s usually a sign that you’re on the right path to grow in your practice!
This post is the first in a series of topics in Ouroboros, an upcoming 7-week writing group for artists. Applications for the spring 2026 season are open until April 5, 2026.