Thursday, December 2, 2010

Reverb #10 - Prompt #2

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

Sigh...
This prompt bums me out.

There is so much that I do that doesn't contribute to a writing life.
And writing is something that I'd love to do more than anything else.

I guess the real question is why AREN'T I writing?
I'm not writing because I'm watching TV, reading, hanging out with friends, washing the dishes, texting, tweeting, napping, working.

And although this list of things is perfectly fine - I mean, you should be able to do all that stuff - but they become excuses for not writing.
Actually, some of them are perfectly absurd excuses.

For instance, "I've had this Netflix movie for two weeks". Or, "I need to do the laundry".
And really, fundamentally, I think it's more, "I'm really scared to start".

FEAR.

I remember, a long time ago, I had a friend that told me, "It's okay to call yourself a writer. The more you do it, the more you are it!".
And so I went around calling myself a writer, but not really producing anything. I guess I thought if I said it enough that the words would just simultaneously fall out of me.

But that's not the way it works.
It's a practice and you have to do it everyday, without excuse, because that's the only way that it can be coaxed and forced from the recesses of your brain.

So similar to meditation - one must practice in order to receive its benefits.
One must stop talking about the practice...AND PRACTICE.

And here I am. I'm writing. RIGHT NOW, I'm doing it.
And I must admit, it's terrifying...but it's the kind of wonderful feeling that one feels when they catch themselves falling on ice.
That empowered feeling of knowing you were in control of yourself enough to maintain being upright.
The sublime feeling of knowing you righted yourself and can walk on with your head held high.






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