the tools of the writing trade - photo by Jane M Sawyer
Greetings!
December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta) #reverb10
At first, this prompt took me back a bit – what on earth could I say?
Yes, I have things that keep me from my writing, but many of them are not things that I ‘should’ do a whole lot about. Things like the Day Job. Things like laundry, dishes, housecleaning, things that while they can be considered escapes & procrastination tools are also valid, necessary self-care things.
Although, if you look at these things from that infamous ‘other point of view’ they don’t really count.
If you’ve ever had the dishes pile up, everything you own in the laundry basket, and the house in such a wreck that YOU can’t stand to look at it, never MIND anybody else, you know as well as I do that these mundane tasks are still vitally necessary to your writing peace of mind.
An orderly environment frees you to look at things from the unhinged (in the good way! 
) point of view that really lets your fingers fly.
And whether you write longhand or on the computer, money is still required. Pens, pencils, your computing medium of choice, Internet access, they all cost money (or at least time) to acquire. Not to mention little things like food, clothing, shelter, etc.
Day Job’s gotta stay. (At least for now. Later… that’s another show. )
So, no, those things need to stay in there.
Then what?
I thought for a few, and did indeed come up with some things that do NOT need to remain in my writing repertoire, nor my writing day.
- The Dragon of Censorship
- The Monsters of Fear
- The Swamp of Slimy Solitude
The Dragon of Censorship
Oh, what a fearsome beast this is! Blowing flame over your pages, burning away all that might cause contention, failing to understand that he is also burning away all that is uniquely you.
That saying “Try to please everybody & you end up pleasing nobody?”
So true.
This isn’t about shock-jock writing.
- This is about saying the things that you have to say.
- This is about opening your heart and letting what’s in there flow freely out onto the page.
- This is about being brave and being you.
This is about telling the Dragon that he isn’t welcome here anymore.
The Monsters of Fear
But Dragons, no matter how fearsome they may be are usually too lazy to roam about the countryside looking for trouble.
No, they must be Called.
And who is foolish (or desperate) enough to do such a thing?
Your Monsters are.
Specifically the Monsters of Fear.
You know who they are, or at least some of them:
- They Might Laugh!
- You’re Not Good Enough!
- Who Do You Think You Are?
- What Will They Think?
They are emphatic about keeping you safe – as they see it.
Which, unfortunately for you, means shouting at you very loudly their messages of Doom, Gloom, and Don’t Do It!, and when that doesn’t work, calling in the Dragon.
Now Monsters of Fear need to be handled more delicately than the Dragon.
Monsters, by definition, are already afraid. So scaring them worse is SO not going to help! In fact, it frequently only encourages them to entrench deeper & shout louder.
Gentle, firm, loving touches are what is needed here.
(For more information on Monster Whispering, I suggest that you check out Havi’s blog, Willie & Alexia’s site, and my posts on Monsters on An Encouraging Bird.)
The Swamp of Slimy Solitude
Notice I say ‘slimy’ solitude here. Solitude can be a wondrous place to recoup, reconnoiter, and generally relax.
It can also be a suffocating pit of despair.
I’ve been known to wander into both from time to time, and I can tell you that I FAR prefer the former to the latter.
So I’m being very careful of where I walk these days. If my Savannah of Solitude turns into a Slimy Swamp, I do something to break away: I go to the ‘net, I turn on the television, I get out and walk the dog. Whatever it takes to reconnect with the world around me.
Turns out I did have a few things to ditch from my writing day.
What about you?
Happy Muse-ings!
Birdy Diamond,Wordsmith
