One
of my clients, Laura West,
is highly plugged into her creative process, among other things. Managing
energy is key for her to run her business at the high level of growth she and
her business are experiencing.
It's
the same for writing. The more conscious we are of our process, the easier,
better, stronger it is. And most of the time we get in our own way. We'd
probably be able to create and write more easily if it weren't for our own bad
selves.
The
following 7 rules for conscious writing are loosely based on what Laura created
for her own energy management process. Think about how you can apply it to your
writing - and get out of your own way.
- Stop doing what you're doing. Do you write about the same topic over and over? Do you
write with the same sentence structure? Do you start out each writing
piece the same? Do you agonize every time that no one will like this?
Consider stopping that.
- Do something different. Try a new technique. Play with a strategy you've never
used before. See what happens.
- Do the opposite of what you think you're supposed to
do. First, figure out what you
think you're supposed to do, and then do the opposite. I guarantee your
writing will be fresher and more powerful as a result.
- Do something crazy, fun, unexpected. Be outlandish. Take risks. I've found that any time I
or any of my students and clients take a risk in their writing, the
resulting piece is far and above the best they've ever produced.
- Do what you think you possibly can't do. This falls in line with rule #4. First, figure out what
you think it is you couldn't possibly do, and then... do it! "What
if...." your writing and your writing process.
- Lead. Get
out of the mindset that says "You can't do that. People won't like
it. Play it safe." Push those voices to the side and be the leader. Do
things differently. Write differently. Break rules. Make your own rules.
So what if it's never been done. Be the leader.
- Love yourself.
Stop with the whole inner critic thing you've got going on. Love yourself
as a writer. And just.... write.
Be aware of your own attitudes in writing and in the creative process. Notice them. Change those that are necessary. And write anyway.
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