What, though, does this have to do with writing, or with ROW80?
wanting to do them, and it’s seldom pleasant.I find it easier to strive toward goals that make my spirit sing, with a merry sense of abandon and possibility… to open myself to play….to free myself up to fail, the way I fail when I am learning any new game or skill. It’s a type of
small failure that I take for granted, in that context, but which swells to monstrous proportions when I struggle to get the work done.When playing, failure tends to beckon me to stretch toward eventual success, mostly without angst. I take the lumps, because I want the delight of mastering the skill involved.
When working at something I feel I have to get done, failure tends to make me frustrated, discouraged, and like I’ve wasted my time. It’s deflating.
When playing, success feels – well,
AWESOME!!! I revel in it, crow it out, dance in my soul at the exuberance of accomplishing what I set out to do, no matter how long or strenuous the journey was.When working, success feels – well, more like something to tick off the to-do list, take a quick breath, and get back to work. I’m
working, after all, and there are still so many things to get done. There’s no time to bask even a little while in the glow of my accomplishment.
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Have someone write words or phrases on slips of paper and fold them. Put them in a jar, and draw one. Write, seriously, playfully, angrily – whatever. My husband did this for me early in our marriage. His quirky sense of humor led to some wonderful little pieces, and I laughed. A lot.
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Write when you are very tired, perhaps half-asleep. I don’t know if this will work for everyone. My mind works in imagery, and, when I’m sleepy, dream-images start to infiltrate my thoughts. Also, my internal censor goes silent.
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Play a game or clean house. I routinely play games with distinct patterns, but which are very unlike my creative process, when I am mulling a piece over . They allow patterns and ideas to emerge while I play. Hometending is repetitive and leaves my mind free to wander.
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Grab a notebook and pen or your keyboard, set a timer, and just write about anything – or nothing at all -until it goes off. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you write; you’re just trying to relax into your words.
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Spend some time with children or animals, watching or interacting. My children have a way of revealing angles I might never otherwise have considered, and they notice things I overlook. They are joyfully present in their own lives, and that tends to feed my muse. Animals perceive in very different ways than humans; time with my dog makes me more attentive to subtle shifts in facial expression and body language, and hints at a reality I will never know.
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Relax. Revel. Appreciate. Repeat. Look at these words, and ask yourself how they might apply t to your writing – and your life.
Relax. Revel. Appreciate. Repeat.
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Awesome, awesome post. For writing and for life. Everyone needs to remember: first, have fun.
I love this. It’s a fantastic reminder that I write because it’s fun and life-enhancing. My two dogs remind me frequently to stop working (so that I can do something for them, such as playing with a toy or rubbing their bellies).
What an excellent post. If it’s not fun, then we need to ask ourselves, why are we doing it? I love your suggestions and pretty much do all of them. You now have made clear to me why Bubble Town and Fairy Land are two games I gravitate towards while I’m writing. I’ll play a round or two as a distraction when I’m in a scene that’s giving me issues and it really does seem to help me think through it. And yes, the dogs always remind me to just breathe and have fun.
Fabulous! I have always loved the scene in THE ROOKIE where the older-man baseball player is frustrated about traveling with a minor league team and being away from his family for so long, and finally he has the epiphany that he gets to play baseball every dang day and he loves doing just that. He makes the decision to revel in the baseball when he’s on the field and revel in his family when he’s at home.
Beautifully put! I will be remembering to revel in my writing this week. I am so lucky/blessed to get to write.