Hello everyone!
Here we are again for IWSG, thanks to Alex J Cavanaugh and the team for the month.
A buzz word at the moment appears to be 'mindfulness' and it got me thinking about how it relates to writing.
Speaking of writing, our lovely Hilary Melton-Butcher (who is taking a blog break) dubbed me the 'cafe writer' and I decided to run with it on my new blog header. Why? Well, I do most of my most productive writing in a cafe in West End here in Brisbane. It is an ancient (for Australia) building with 6 areas where you can ramble. I have a favourite table in the back amongst the palm trees and can write my heart out for hours.
Now...mindfulness. It resonates with me as I've always been a 'stop and smell the roses' type of gal. You never know, next time you pass by they may have drooped or been dead-headed or ripped out to make way for a road.
Mindfulness is about living in the moment, not letting your brain run ahead to the next thing and the next instead of enjoying what you're doing at the time. For example:
When you're taking a shower or bath, instead of planning your day, or running over the events of the day, take time to relish the feel of the gorgeous soft water flowing over your body and being thankful you live in a country that has water, and hot water at that. Inhale the scents of the shampoo, conditioner, bath gel etc. Enjoy the experience. Let your mind declutter and rejuvenate.
Now what does mindfulness have to do with writing? Well, instead of furiously tapping that keyboard or scratching that pen across the page, thinking 'when will I ever get this done?', 'I hate this story!', 'Will my editor approve these changes?', 'Will the public want to buy my book?', relish the time to write. Be thankful that you have the time, the motivation, the creativity. Allow your brain to create without being short circuited by superfluous thoughts.
Maybe if we let our creativity flow unhindered, maybe if we practise mindfulness, our writing will shine even brighter and all those other questions that demonstrate our insecurity will be banished (for a moment, anyway).
Here we are again for IWSG, thanks to Alex J Cavanaugh and the team for the month.
A buzz word at the moment appears to be 'mindfulness' and it got me thinking about how it relates to writing.
Speaking of writing, our lovely Hilary Melton-Butcher (who is taking a blog break) dubbed me the 'cafe writer' and I decided to run with it on my new blog header. Why? Well, I do most of my most productive writing in a cafe in West End here in Brisbane. It is an ancient (for Australia) building with 6 areas where you can ramble. I have a favourite table in the back amongst the palm trees and can write my heart out for hours.
Now...mindfulness. It resonates with me as I've always been a 'stop and smell the roses' type of gal. You never know, next time you pass by they may have drooped or been dead-headed or ripped out to make way for a road.
Mindfulness is about living in the moment, not letting your brain run ahead to the next thing and the next instead of enjoying what you're doing at the time. For example:
When you're taking a shower or bath, instead of planning your day, or running over the events of the day, take time to relish the feel of the gorgeous soft water flowing over your body and being thankful you live in a country that has water, and hot water at that. Inhale the scents of the shampoo, conditioner, bath gel etc. Enjoy the experience. Let your mind declutter and rejuvenate.
Now what does mindfulness have to do with writing? Well, instead of furiously tapping that keyboard or scratching that pen across the page, thinking 'when will I ever get this done?', 'I hate this story!', 'Will my editor approve these changes?', 'Will the public want to buy my book?', relish the time to write. Be thankful that you have the time, the motivation, the creativity. Allow your brain to create without being short circuited by superfluous thoughts.
Maybe if we let our creativity flow unhindered, maybe if we practise mindfulness, our writing will shine even brighter and all those other questions that demonstrate our insecurity will be banished (for a moment, anyway).
- What do you think? Do you practise mindfulness in your life? In your writing? Tell us about it.
- Thanks for coming by. Click here to go to other posts for IWSG.
- May your month be sweetened by the fragrance of roses.
