KWE Publishing Newsletter - 08/31/23
All creatives, including writers, sometimes feel burned out. Maybe you're dealing with writer's block, or perhaps you just don't feel connected with your story.
Everyone has their own ways of dealing with these "blah" feelings in their writing, and sometimes, the best remedy is time.
However, after watching a session on mindfulness and writing at August's Writing Romance Mastery Summit by April Dávila, I wanted to share a unique way that you can combine writing and meditation to help you feel more connected to your work! Thank you to April for sharing her experiences!
Even if you're someone who's not super into meditation, consider trying this method to see if it helps you!
1. Allow your mind to wander.
Like most meditations, you'll want to start out in a quiet, comfortable place. Allow yourself at least ten or so minutes to do this. If you struggle to find time to do this in the day, you can try this out before going to sleep!
The first part of this meditation is to take a few slow, deep breaths. Now, imagine you're in a calm space. This can be inside, outside, real, or imagined. If you'd like, you can set an intention or goal for yourself and what you'd like to get out of this mini-meditation session.
At this point, you're going to let your mind wander. If you're like me, you might start thinking about work, or your cat, or a noise you hear. That's okay; just don't get fixated on these thoughts.
2. Focus on the images you see without judgment.
Now that you're (hopefully!) relaxed, you're going to focus on whatever images, scenes, or sounds come to mind.
These might seem totally random, and that's okay. Maybe you're imagining a setting, like a cozy cabin during a snowstorm. Or, you might hear a character's dialogue. Even if you imagine something that seems to have no purpose or relation to a story you're working on, such as a tree, don't worry about its significance.
After that ten minutes is up, write down the things you thought about. Does anything stick out? Is there something that you just can't get out of your head? If so, this is what you'll want to explore. This doesn't have to necessarily be connected to a project you're working on, but just writing something, even if it's incredibly short, often helps to get your creativity flowing. You might be surprised to find that one of those thoughts sparks a new idea!
3. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
When you first do this practice, you might feel silly. Just like writing, though, practicing this technique should get easier over time!
The key is to approach everything with a low-pressure mindset. If you end up with an amazing idea, that's great! If you write down something about a pink elephant that seems bizarre, that's okay, too, because you're writing and giving yourself time to intentionally focus on your creativity.
Even if you don't end up writing something that feels significant, this exercise should help you approach writing from a different angle. If you find you do like this approach, keep trying!
Or, if this approach feels a little too "woo-woo" for you, there are other techniques you can try, like listening to your favorite song or using a random image or word generator and seeing what ideas or images they inspire in you.
What do you think of this mindfulness practice? Have you ever tried something like this before, or do you use any other creative techniques to help you jumpstart your writing? Reach out and let us know!
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