There is no better place to find peace of mind and connect with your spirit, your passions, and your voice than writing. You can use writing as a meditation tool, a place to dream on the page, a stress-reducer, problem solver, or a place to vent where no one will hear or judge you. What about the stress of the blank page? Of getting blocked? I suggest you focus on this important writing practice…relaxation. BRILLIANT ideas come when you relax and slip into the writing zone.
“What!?!” you are saying right now. Facing the blank page is a huge challenge, my mind races, my mind goes blank, writing is hard work, I have no time, I have more to write than I can ever accomplish, my brain is cluttered, my ideas are jammed up, they won’t come out, oh no…what if I run out of ideas?
Stop struggling. Relax. You are missing out on the greatest gift writing can give you—peace of mind, a method to find your unique inner voice, and a way to balance your life with what is inside you. Help for you to cope with the insanity of today’s world. Here are some suggestions to help you quiet the outside world, tap into yourself and find a very precious commodity in the process…peace of mind.
Turn writing into a mini-vacation. Go to a fresh place to write. A forest preserve, a park or outside where you can breathe, or surrounded by books at the library. If you like the energy of people, try a coffee shop (and treat yourself to a chocolate cookie crumble frappuccino). The point is to try someplace that will be a treat. Relax. Enjoy. And write.
Meditation will make you a better writer. Meditation connects you with your best self and quiets the “monkey mind” so you can tap into your true creative source. It guides you to the creativity trapped inside and works because you turn inside, listen to your inner voice, and find the creative juice is there. You can use guided meditation (there are plenty of CDs and podcasts) or quiet yourself, choose a writing mantra (a phrase you repeat to yourself—even “what happens next” will work) and meditate!
Pay attention to silence. When you listen to quiet, you hear a symphony. There are always sounds around you, but as a habit, you filter some of the most beautiful and interesting ones out. Listen and begin to hear your own unique writer’s voice come into being and harmonize with the world. So listen to the silence. Hear your unique voice. Write.
Write through your challenges. If you are upset or worried about something, write about it. During the writing you may figure out a solution, or at the very least, understand more about what is upsetting you. Writing through a trying time can help bring clarity and a different way of thinking about the challenges facing you. You may find a way to move forward through your problem. Think out loud using your unique writing voice and connect words to emotion. It’s a win-win.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://howtowriteshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/KathyColum.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Award-winning novelist Kathy Steffen teaches fiction writing and speaks at writing programs across the country. Additionally, Kathy is also published in short fiction and pens a monthly writing column, Between the Lines. Her books, FIRST THERE IS A RIVER, JASPER MOUNTAIN and THEATER OF ILLUSION are available online and at bookstores everywhere. Check out more at www.kathysteffen.com [/author_info] [/author]
In the silence, a bird tweets outside.
It’s a nice day.
It has been a while since I wrote.
…but I discovered a new webcomic.
And there are a few blog posts to go.
Advice to A Writer —
Ahead
We want to traverse the Unknown with a map–
We want to know what to expect,
or to whom we will meet up with.
But how our mistakes will leave a trail
that gives way to something new,
or the greening along the path
reminds us of something
we might return to
someday.
Maybe there’s a place that asks you to
share a poem or song in order to receive a meal,
or a good story might do:
You start in the middle and go from there.
Everything else will follow,
the same way life follows light.
As you walk on everything comes towards you.
You must offer up your poem, your song,
or you story
to be known. Forget your name.
Some will glance up from their lunch,
most won’t.
But you repeat your favorite phrase,
over and over to the greening stranger,
like the chickadee or crow at dawn
and something beyond your glance
responds.
by Julie Tallard Johnson, 2012
Chihuahua and Julie: Wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing these!
Writing I should say is one of the greatest gift to humans. I used to suffer from anxiety, fear and depression. Then I found a solution called meditation to control my mind to help it relieve from its fear , anxiety and depression. Even lately I found a more elegant and simple solution called writing. It is while writing I completely forget my worries and problems. I think writing is so simple to practise that you just need to know a language to write. It is not necessary that you need to have great ideas and inspiration to write. Guess what I started writing ? I have started writing everything I know about myself and my family from my childhood. It might be a simple and silly thing but it works like a charm in calming my mind and helping me listen to my inner self.
I felt obliged to writing to share this.
Navinnath, that is a great comment and wonderful advice for anyone. Writing is simple in its power to do so much for us. Fill a gap, connect us to spirit, calming our internal “nagging” voice, give us purpose. I too am calmed and connected to my inner self through writing. Thank you for sharing that!