Monday motivation and prompt
Good morning, writers! I’ve always loved this quote by Ernest Hemingway. Partly because I like the sharp irony. There’s nothing to writing! It’s easy peasy! Just bleed! But also because it points honestly to the difficulty and intensity of the work. Writing is not just sitting and tapping at keys. We’re doing intense emotional, intellectual, and even physical work as our nervous systems react to what we’re evoking. And because of this, there can be a lot of anxiety, and even fear associated with sitting down to write.
I read recently that procrastination is a protective mechanism. Our minds sense danger, and do all they can to keep us away from it. Today I’m pondering how we can honor our mind and body’s desire for self-protection, while still pursuing our dream of writing. Would doing a few minutes of meditation before writing help? Do we need to give ourselves permission to just not write when we’re feeling that fear, so our bodies learn that we will listen and take care of them? Maybe we need to do more work, in therapy or elsewhere, to process our experiences before we’re ready to write about them? Or maybe we need a trusted friend who will read what we bleed onto the page without judgement?
I think the answer is probably different for different people. For today, though, I’m suggesting a writing exercise that can maybe teach our bodies (our minds, our nervous systems) to associate writing with relaxation and beauty, rather than anxiety and fear. Today, write about something beautiful. It can be a memory of a time you felt held and safe, or an amazing place you visited. It can be a romantic encounter or a great conversation with a friend. It can be an imaginary world with beautiful sights, sounds, smells, and taste.
Write about something that makes you happy. And use words that make you happy, not necessarily the longest or fanciest words — unless you like those! Don’t even worry about using words correctly: Make up your own if you want. Have fun! Remind yourself that writing can be fun. Save the vein-opening for another day.
In love and hope,
Jessica