I'm halfway through The Artist's Way and am I feeling more creative? I've certainly tried a bunch of things I normally wouldn't do, like making lists about things I'd like to own, or eschewing electronic distractions, or getting up early every morning and writing about my thoughts.
Things that I think have helped me as a writer:
1) Keeping a daily journal - this is definitely something I'll keep up with for the rest of my life and something that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in writing. It does help you recognize and confront some of the thoughts that might be bothering you and, as a result, frees you for your creative writing.
2) Going on an "artist date" - you don't have to call it a date, but it is valuable to treat yourself to a bit of alone time each week. All writers need time to think and decompress and this is a great way to do it.
3) Allowing yourself to be a kid again - figuring out what you used to like to do as a kid and doing more of it as an adult is fun and liberating. I especially enjoyed making a list of ten things I wanted, without attaching any guilt to it. It's just a fun, frivolous activity.
4) Unplugging from my distractions - I cheated a lot on this one during my extended second week, but during the first week I stuck with it pretty well. I had a temper tantrum at one point because I couldn't stand not having something taking my mind off things. Once I got through the tantrum, I actually became more relaxed and quiet (which my wife found disconcerting). It made me wonder what people did at night in 1865, or 1773, or 1066. Were the creative types in history spending their time in quiet contemplation while I watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead? Was Twain smoking cigars and imagining Huckleberry Finn during his evenings? Whether or not the lack of distractions made me more creative, it certainly freed up time, and that's something very precious indeed.
That's my midway update. On to Week 6!
No comments:
Post a Comment