Meditation for writing
Meditative prompts galore + February Happy Hour link, Fledgling Newsletter #55
“The writer walks out of his workroom in a daze. He wants a drink. He needs it. It happens to be a fact that nearly every writer of fiction in the world drinks more whisky than is good for him. He does it to give himself faith, hope, and courage.”
-Roald Dahl
Is Dahl describing a soldier or a writer here? There are countless quotes like this one by artists from Matisse to Isabel Allende to Georgia O’Keeffe to Jay-Z that make the art making process sound like a nightmare. Simply put, Phillip Roth says:
“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.”
Today marks one week until my birthday, and so of course I’ve been ruminating on lessons. The ones I am mid-learning now, the ones that have changed me, the ones I may have missed, and the ones I have committed to the page in creative projects.
One thing I know for sure, is that sitting down to write requires nerve. But, white knuckling it and forcing yourself to sit down even when you’re nervous or frazzled will likely result in a frustrating creative session. This is because the only way to approach the page and come away feeling successful is with joy and an open mind. I know this because I learn it again and again and teach it again and again and then start all over. It’s one of those lessons that won’t let me go. We’re in this thing for life.
This past year I developed a more regular meditation practice with the help of books like Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh and apps like Calm. I am nowhere near a meditation expert, but I’ve noticed practicing meditation has helped not only the quality of my mental health, but the quality of my writing sessions. And why shouldn’t it improve both, when the two are so absolutely linked? (There’s another lesson I’m sure of.)
Getting into the zone gets more and more fickle for me as the years go by. Who knows if it’s distractions, more responsibilities, or capitalism to blame, but here are a few quick and easy meditation approaches for scary writing days:
Transitioning from a different project/work
There are many ways to use this one. You might make it into a ritual and close you eyes and breathe for 3-5 minutes each time you sit down to write. This repetition will make your body start to remember that sitting and breathing means writing is about to begin. Eventually, your mind will follow. Alternatively, maybe you write in the same space that you work, so you go outside or in a different room to meditate on what you see there to clear your perspective before returning to the same space to be creative. (You might even return to your desk and immediately write about what you experienced in that other place, similar to the poem by Linda Gregg lower down in this email). Or, you might link a meditation to your “morning pages” routine, meditating right after walking up, by sitting up at the edge of your bed. I prefer this approach to writing immediately upon opening my eyes, as The Artist’s Way suggests. This way I feel clear, peaceful, and awake before putting pen to paper.
Walking meditation to clear your head
Here’s one from Thich Nhat Hanh that I really enjoy when I feel tired or low energy. Walk around your house, neighborhood, yard, wherever, just following your feet wherever they go. As you walk, focus on your breath, and as you inhale think, “I breath in peace” and as you exhale think, “I breath out love.” Eventually, you might synch breath to step. Notice it takes three steps to inhale and five to exhale? With each step think, “Peace, peace, peace, love, love, love, love, love, peace, peace, peace…” This is also an excellent way to get a meditation in if you are walking home from the train or walking the dog.
Immersing into your writing project’s time and place
Meditation is an excellent tool for world building and developing imagery. Spend some time exploring the setting or time period of a scene you want to write, by first closing your eyes and imagining yourself there. Set a timer for five minutes and stay. “Explore” the space you imagine, allowing objects and characters to pop in as they come. Maybe you are in a house, a forest, someone else’s bed. In any case, make note of the sensory experience there (the quality of light, the energy, the sounds and smells), not just the scenery, then open your eyes and begin writing what you conjured.
Grounding yourself before writing about a difficult subject
Here’s a meditation I like to use to begin a trauma writing session. Using a hand mirror (if possible, but a regular mirror will do, just not a phone please) spend three minutes quietly examining your face, making note of appraising thoughts and letting them pass. Rather than judgment try to objectively record in your mind what you are seeing. Take note of any physical attributes you can detect (clear pores, dry skin, nose ring) as well as the abstract (last night’s glass of wine, Mom’s eyes, exhaustion). Stay longer than feels comfortable. This can be emotional, but the emotions are grounded in what is real and visible. A great reminder not to spin off into abstraction in your writing session.
Remember, meditation, like creative writing, is not a competition and somedays are easier than others. The bedrock purpose of both is simply to connect to the human condition and practice self care, not to be “good” at something. So, relax, writer. It’s not a battle to be won. Give yourself, time, space, and a deep breath, to remind yourself that at the end of the day you like this work. It’s why you do it.
News:
🚨NEW spring workshop offering: You heard that right. Migration, a 5-week course on short memoir (personal essay or memoir chapter), will begin Wednesday, April 12th and meet in person at Fledgling HQ in Crown Heights. This intimate workshop combines craft lessons, prompt writing, and traditional manuscript critique and culminates with the completion of an original short memoir. Like all Fledgling Workshops, this is open to writers of any perceived skill level. Get all the details and register here.
I am proud to be a member of PEN America’s Literary Action Coalition. The organization will host the Literary Action Summit this coming Saturday, February 25th, a convening of NYC’s literary community. This event is free to join and sure to inspire. Find out more and register here, and I hope to see you there!
📝Happy Hour, our monthly community’s monthly writing workshop, is considering a new time. If you are a current paid subscriber or you’ve been hoping to join the paid community (and the five monthly writing sessions that come with it!) but the timing doesn’t currently work for you, please take a moment to fill out this survey.
There are two more chances to write with me in February, tomorrow’s Lunch Break writing Hour (every Wednesday at 1 pm EST) and Thursday’s Happy Hour (every last Thursday of the month at 6 pm EST). Sign up for a paid subscription or try a free seven day trial to join us for these community’s writing events!
Prompts:
Turn your phone on airplane mode. Choose a prompt. Write to it for 10 minutes. If you want to keep going, keep going. If you like what you write, reply it back to me and maybe see it in the newsletter next month...
Here’s an oldie but goodie from prompt writing matriarch, Pat Schneider, for combatting the fear of rejection when approaching the page. First, get comfortable and close your eyes. “Imagine yourself on a wide stretch of prairie or desert. You can see all the way to the horizon, where a little road meanders along, winding, curving. It stretches from the horizon all the way to your very feet. You are standing beside the road. Far, far in the distance, you can see a bus coming toward you on the road. Let it come slowly. Perhaps there are heat waves that make it waver a bit at first. Let it come closer and closer until it draws up alongside you and stops. The door opens, and people come out one by one. Each person who gets off the bus is someone who has an opinion about your writing.
Is it your mother? Father? Sister? Brother? Sixth-grade teacher? Professor of English? Editor who recently rejected your manuscript? Best friend who has a huge ego and got published last month?
Allow the real “loudmouths” to push off the bus first. After all the loudmouths get off, there will be some quiet folk at the back of the bus. Let them off too. What they have to say may be entirely different. Let them off, one by one, and let each one say what is on his or her mind, then open your eyes and write it all down.” (From Writing Alone and With Others). You may describe it as a scene or as dialogue between you two or even as a poem or story, but let them get it all out. Confronting rejection in a way that you can control might make you realize how little other opinions really matter.
Imagine your fear has taken the shape of a human. Is she a frightened child? A lazy teenager? An angry man? An old, grumpy woman? Describe him or her in a scene where they are doing their favorite thing: ruining your day.
And lastly, something to read:
A Dark Thing Inside a Day by Linda Gregg
Find out how to join the February Happy Hour focused on Life Lessons as Art below!
(Thursday, February 23, 6-7:45 pm EST on Zoom)
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