Creativity Slump

August 30, 2008

I have just finished re-reading a good deal of Eric Maisel's Coaching the Artist Within. I would be lying if I did not say that it has re-inspired me as I have been re-inspired by the events of the Democratic National Convention and of McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

I have been experiencing a "creativity slump." I feel that my writing has suffered. I have neither had the desire to write, nor when I have been writing have I been as prolific as I used to be.

I wrote Regon Rising (adult novel) in six weeks. I wrote Julia: Turning 14 (teen novel) in three weeks. My energy was unbounded. I felt driven, or in Maisel's words "obsessed." "Positive obsessions are the fruit of our meaning making efforts. without them, life is dull, dreary, and meaningless." (p79) I have missed that energy and passion and have longed to have them back. I sense I am on the road there just because I chose to pick up and read Coaching the Artist Within.

As I sit here I wonder what made me decide to look at the book. Perhaps I am simply trying to attribute meaning where there is none. But, I had been feeling the absence of meaning in a subtle yet pervasive way for some time. The need for meaning was gaining momentum. As I read the first couple of chapters of Maisel's book, Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning came to mind. I have long been an admirer of Frankl's philosophy of the significance of meaning in one's life. And yet recently, I had "forgotten" it.

Now I find I am re-connecting with the pieces of myself which somehow seemed lost to me. And, I am doing it through my writing. It is not only gratifying, but I am grateful that despite the apparent meaninglessness (to me) of what I have been writing in my journal day after day for a while now, that I have continued to write. Writers need to keep writing.

Without writing in my life, there is not enough meaning. If that is true for you, I encourage you to read Eric Maisel's Coaching the Artist Within. I also encourage you to keep writing, no matter what. For more tips you can see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.

Writing and Laziness

August 17, 2008

Yesterday, I was positively impacted to read in Wild Mind what Natalie Goldberg had to say about "laziness." That it is "...the essential ingredient in writing." (p230) She goes on to say that "After you're cleared from lying around, your desire to write will rise up to the surface like a bubble or an old dead fish. Then you can get up for no reason and write a little." (p230)

At the same time, though in different places throughout Wild Mind as well as throughout Writing Down The Bones, Natalie talks about the importance of keeping your hand moving either on paper or on computer. While these two concepts "appear" contradictory, it seems to me that what the author is saying is that we're all human, and that we need to take our humanness into consideration when we write. I know I felt relieved to hear her talk about the "laziness" factor.

Unfortunately, as in life so in writing we can be too hard on ourselves. We can and often (or sometimes) do expect too much of ourselves or of our writing. In Overcome Writer's Block Easily I discuss how to deal with the saboteur, that part of ourselves that can interfere with the movement of our writing work. While it (he/she) may have good intention for us, the tone of voice we often hear in our heads is anything but comforting. And, gentleness is what we need from ourselves in order to genuinely hear our "real voice," and move forward.

Intuition in Writing and Life

August 15, 2008

I didn't know what to blog about today. I was leaning towards talking about Natalie Goldberg. In particular about her book, Wild Mind which I recently received for my birthday. But I don't feel I've read enough of it. And I thought about writing about happiness, or optimism. And yet the topic I gravitated to today seemed to have to do with the fact that there was a period of time recently -- days and days -- that I simply didn't blog. When I reflect upon it I don't really know why. I either didn't make the time, or I was elsewhere occupied.

What is true is that I am happy and relieved as well to do what I very much enjoy... even love... doing. Writing. And, I write today without being critical of what I'm writing because being critical -- self evaluative -- means that I'm not being in my experience of the moment. If I'm not in my experience, my genuine thoughts, that reflect the "real voice," I talked about yesterday in my blog, definitely won't be represented. So, here I am, not writing about Natalie Goldberg who has influenced me a great deal. What I believe is that I need to re-read the entire book that I read so long ago before I know what my real voice wants to say about it.

I'm trusting my intuition. In life as in writing, trusting our intuition is what makes things work out well.

As I've mentioned at other times, other writing strategies... and in fact, a plan for writing... is presented in Overcome Writer's Block Easily .

Our Real Writing Voice

August 14, 2008

I was reading Peter Elbow's Writing with Power last night and was impressed with how he talked about a writer's "real voice." He talked about writing with voice, meaning real voice, as being "... writing into which someone has breathed. It has that fluency, rhythm, and liveliness that exist naturally in the speech of most people when they are enjoying conversation." (p299)

That passage especially made me realize a major reason I encourage people (writers and want-to-be-writers) to simply write whatever comes into their mind. Namely, writing "whatever" is very much like just speaking. And when we're speaking without self consciousness, we are speaking from our real voice.

It doesn't matter what kind of writing we do, for it to be real, it needs to come from deep within us. So, writing "whatever," without thinking about it, and not worrying how good or bad it is, is truly essential.

For more techniques on writing see Overcome Writer's Block Easily.

Appreciate and Seize the Opportunity

August 13, 2008

Today I was thinking about the "tentativeness" of life. In particular the names of famous people who have died at "young" ages over recent months came to mind...Tony Snow, Tim Russet, Bernie Mack, Isaac Hayes. In particular these passings oriented me towards appreciating the life I am leading. And, especially, to not put off till tomorrow what I can do today, even if it means stepping through huge fear to do it.

If we focus on the positive outcome, it can help move us through the fear. A writer with whom I was recently working comes to mind. She was having a really hard time believing that it was her natural born right to enjoy the process of writing. "What are you waiting for?" I asked. And she was puzzled. We discussed some fun symbols she could put in her writing space to remind her to have fun.... which is what she really wanted though was terribly fearful to have happen. She put the various objects in her writing space after that. It was no miracle, but it came pretty close.

Seize the day continues to be the message I give myself each day. It is as well a message I impart to my clients.

You can read more about my writing strategies in Overcome Writer's Block Easily