WRITING: 5 (LESS CONVENTIONAL) TIPS
#WritingTips
Honestly speaking, I think the
thing we all know about writing, whether published in any form yet or not, is
that it’s HARD. And where do I go from here? - Sense of the craft, but at least
for me – in the expectations placed upon it.
Expectations
I put on myself (If I can just get like 250 word count in today’s post) and as
well as expectations from others – because let’s face it, there are future
readers I don’t want to disappoint them because of their precious time to read my blog posts or stories I put on my blog.
As
if we don’t feel our self-imposed pressure enough, those expectations sometimes
unfortunately do lead to disappointment. Perhaps it’s over a certain creative
writing, or maybe it’s a reader saying “the contents are not quite as good as
I’d hoped”.
If
you’re anything like me, those are the things that make me want to snap my
laptop shut and go hide my soul in bed.
Afterward I pull myself together and invest in
a different sort of writing exercise. The
one that has less to do with craft, expectations and computer screens, and more
to do with nurturing the space in me, that made me fell in love with story in
the first place.
Thus,
here are my five “Writing for the Soul” tips:
1. Just Breathe
Research
shows the health benefits of spending even a few minutes deep breathing. It
reduces stress and anxiety, and enables us to think clearer. As well, I find
the time of pausing allows me to mentally take a step back and see the moment
for what it is – simply a precious part of my bigger life story.
2. Walk Away
LITERALLY,
just take a walk to the park, along the beach, or any place that stirs your
soul with its beauty. Not only will doing so raise your endorphin (happy
chemicals) levels, it stimulates the eyes and mind to see things through a
fresh lens.
3. Create
Differently
Pick
up your camera, your paintbrush, your dance shoes, or that guitar that you’ve
always wanted to learn to play – and EXPERIMENT. This is one of my most
powerful refreshers when my soul feels weary – finding a different medium in
which to create. And exploring it like nobody’s business.
4. Analyze Your
Journey
Rather
than working on your book or query or article or proposal, take an hour to
reflect upon your own personal life story. The one you’re living. Where have
you come from? What challenges have you faced? What victories have you seen?
Because in the same way a book must have highs and lows and failures and
successes to be a fascinating story – so does YOUR story. And it isn’t over yet.
5. Live a
Better Story Than You Are writing
We’ve
all heard that saying, “Write what you know.” Agree with it or not, I think
it’s worth exploring the idea that if we don’t know what a good story looks and
feels like, it might be a tad harder to write a decent one for others. Not that
our personal lives have to mimic our books, but what does it feel like to be ON
a journey? Or to feast with friends, to
celebrate their successes, to fall apart because that challenge was just too
hard? Or to dance around a bonfire, to laugh with your kids, and to listen as a
friend shares their heartbreak…
Those
are the aspects that make any blog come alive – that take it from a narrative
to something that feels REAL.
When
looking at it that way, maybe we should embrace our own adventures more, and
cheer like heck for ourselves. Because, just like the Velveteen Rabbit,
we are loved and living a more authentically real story than anyone can write.
And
THAT is a beautiful adventure.
Now,…
Open
up the laptop and put THAT energy and emotion into your writing. And let your
stories breathe alive from a soul level.
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