As a child, I was not very good at coloring between the lines. Most of the
kids I knew enjoyed coloring in coloring books. I made coloring books for
other kids to color. Drawing the lines felt creative, like being a leader.
Coloring in the picture seemed like being a follower and therefore much
less creative. As an adult, I now understand that coloring in the picture
is as much a part of the creative process as drawing the lines. Both are
necessary for the picture to take form.
Although I no longer create coloring books, the metaphor of drawing the
lines has become increasingly important to me. As a writer of non-fiction,
much of what I write is about empowerment: about becoming aware that we
each draw our own lines. We are not defined by our circumstances, left to
color in a picture we do not like. If we do not like the way our lives are
going, we can draw a new picture to color.
Drawing the lines is more than something I write about; it is an important
part of how I write. I have written a book, which I am now editing and
preparing for publication. Writing a book can feel like an overwhelming
task, making it hard to get started, to keep going, and to finish. Yet I
know the ease of any project is based on how I think about it. When I
reframe how I think about a project, I make it easier to complete and I
make the process of working on it more enjoyable. It is all in how I choose
to perceive and draw the lines.
As with coloring books, the lines offer a sense of structure to facilitate
filling in the picture. By experimenting with how I want to draw the lines
to best complete the tasks at hand, I have developed a creative approach to
completing large projects that works well for me and perhaps will work for
you too. I offer here some ways in which I have drawn the lines to help me
write my book. Although I am referring to it here in terms of writing a
book, this approach can be applied to any large project. Whenever there is
an intimidation factor due to the immensity of the task at hand, this
approach helps to re-frame how you think about it in order to make it
easier to complete.
Not Doing It Would Feel Worse Than Doing It
The hardest part of writing, for me, is getting started each day. I can
come up with all sorts of reasons not to write. When I have difficulty
getting started I consider how awful it would feel to not complete the
book. The way I would feel letting my dream slip away because I am afraid
of a bunch of writing and whatever else it entails makes it seem
unreasonable to not follow through. How could I do that to myself? What
exactly am I afraid of anyway? It is okay and totally natural to have fear.
To deny my fear makes it impossible to address and resolve. I do address my
fears but I do so later in the day after I am done writing. Addressing my
fears is part of my writing process and it is as important as the time I
spend writing, editing and doing all the other things writers do. I make
time for it, but not at the same time as I am writing.
Book? What Book?
You have probably heard the advice to break larger projects into smaller
steps. I have done this also. Often, though, it is still hard to get
started writing each day. This is where reframing is especially helpful.
Some days when the fear comes up about the immensity of the project, I
pretend there is no project and I am just writing an article, or part of an
article. By staying focused on the task at hand and not thinking about the
larger picture, I can get myself to write each day.
Staying Encouraged
When I tell people, especially other writers, that I am writing a book,
they often mention how hard it is to get a book published and suggest that
I try to self publish as a way to avoid the difficulty of getting a
publisher to accept a manuscript. So prevalent is this way of thinking, it
could be easy for me to feel like my choices are dictated by circumstances
and it is necessary to adapt to the circumstances in order to follow my
dream. According to this mindset, the odds of my book being published by
someone other than myself are very low because the publishing business is
extremely competitive so it would be wise to consider self publishing if I
want my book published.
To let the odds (which are just numbers) of being published influence me to
the point of choosing to self publish (a less desirable option for what I
want to accomplish) is like giving up without even trying. I can either
focus on how many book manuscripts never get published or I can focus on
the fact that there are stores full of books that are published by someone
other than the authors themselves.
Non-writers, when I mention I am writing a book, often ask me whether I can
make a living as a writer. Although my usual response is to jokingly say,
“I will let you know,” I can sense their belief in limitation and it is
easy to respond with my own feelings of limitation and fear. Limitation and
fear are so strongly ingrained in our culture that it is considered healthy
and realistic to think in a limited, fear-based way. Rising and staying
above it can be challenging.
As someone who draws my own lines, I can allow fear about not making a
decent income to stop me from what I really love doing or I can choose,
like the many successful authors that people seem to forget about when they
doubt a writer can make a good living, to be supported financially by work
that I enjoy doing. I do not need to get a “real job.” I already have one
and it is writing. It is all in what I choose to believe. Some people would
consider me unrealistic or optimistic; I just do not feel limited by
circumstances. Circumstances, like lines, can be redrawn.
Writing and Cleaning
I have found I can concentrate for short periods of time, but staying
focused on writing for extended periods of time can be difficult. When I
have a hard time staying focused, I alternate writing with cleaning my
home. Writing is intellectual and cleaning is physical. By alternating
between the two orientations, I find balance and the physical act of
cleaning relaxes my mind so I can write again with a clear mind—and a clean
home. A typical work session will have me writing, then taking a break to
clean my toilet, then writing again, washing some dishes, writing again,
making my bed, etc.
Writing Challenges for Breaking out of a Rut
I like having a routine time to write and my method of writing and cleaning
works well for me most of the time. However, as someone who is bored by
things always being the same way, I will sometimes try other approaches. I
have tried watching television and writing during the commercial breaks. I
have written in my car when I was stopped at red lights. Although I prefer
writing in a very quiet environment, sometimes I will experiment with
different types of music, or I will go to a busy caf? for a change of
scenery. These may not be ideal writing conditions for me, but they offer
challenge which sparks creativity and offers variety to get out of a rut.
Mind Games
I can use writing challenges as a way to break out of a rut, and I can also
break free by reframing how I think about the obstacles that come my way.
Writers block can be reframed as needing time for ideas to come together
and develop before I write them down; like gestation or fermentation.
When I have trouble concentrating enough to write, I can reframe it as
being in the perfect state of mind to do some editing of what I have
already written. Lack of income to support my writing can be reframed as
incentive to complete this project and reap the rewards of being a
published author.
When even the smallest task seems overwhelming, I reframe it by comparing
it to other, more difficult, things I have done. Now that I have written my
book and am editing and marketing, on the days when it seems like more than
I can handle, I remind myself that I wrote a book. If I can write a book, I
can do a little editing and marketing! The hardest part is already past.
Whatever comes up, I imagine that the obstacles are actually supports and
that my “weaknesses” are actually strengths. Redrawing the lines keeps me
from being hard on myself and allows me to feel supported by the very
things that once would have held me back. With mind games, I cannot lose.
Finish Line
Often as I get close to completing a writing goal, I find that I slow down
and it takes me a while to finish. As much as I want to be done, I am
afraid of what the next step will require and all the steps beyond that. Or
the opposite takes place and I want to finish everything so quickly that I
overdo it and exhaust myself.
Any competitive runner will tell you the finish line has personal
significance to them beyond just being the end of the race. The same is
true for writers. Sometimes I build the finish line up in my mind until the
expectations associated with finishing make me want to run and hide rather
than cross the finish line. Or, conversely, the drive to complete something
is so strong that it is hard to have it incomplete and I do not feel a
moment of peace until everything is neatly wrapped up and done.
Both the desire to avoid and the drive to finish right away come from
whatever I associate with finishing. Leaving things incomplete is hard for
me, as is fear of the unknown that comes after the finish line. I can
reframe leaving things incomplete as allowing some time for better options
to present themselves. I like knowing I have options. The better the
option, the happier I feel. I can reframe fear of the unknown as being on
an adventure, which is something that appeals to my sense of fun and
pioneering spirit.
What Finish Line?
Another approach is to remove the finish line altogether by placing the
project in the larger context of my life. There will be many projects for
me to address, the process of taking on new challenges will never end
because life is about all the experiences I will have. The endings and
beginnings are insignificant in the larger context of life. It is much more
important to be open to the wonders and joys of life than worry about small
details. The meanings I attach to the finish line pale in comparison to the
significance of life as a whole.
The Zen of Writing
Whatever fears I have about finishing or not finishing, the best moment in
my life is right here and right now. Whatever I desire for my future,
whatever has happened in my past that I am afraid may happen again: it is
all irrelevant. In this moment I am writing and it feels wonderful. When I
get in touch with the joy of writing, I remember the true reason why I
write. I love the sensation of words flowing together onto the page and the
precision of getting everything just right. My experience while creating is
one of the best feelings in the world. When the reason for the task is the
process of the task itself, everything else is irrelevant. Whatever your
task, this is what I wish for you.
Copyright 2007
Linda White Dove
http://www.lindawhitedove.com
The purpose of my articles and poetry is to inspire you to see yourself and the world around you from an expanded, healing perspective. If you would like personal assistance applying the information in this article/poem to your life circumstances, the Living Oneness Attunement and the Sexual Empowerment Attunement are designed for this purpose.
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