A New Start

As some of you will have noticed my writing of late has been rather sporadic. In fact there was a period of months where I did not post anything. It seemed that my ideas bank account had run empty. In fact, in looking back, I would suggest that with some of my thoughts I was overdrawing the account. They should have been returned NSF.

Since the start of this project I prided myself in the regularity of my posts. Sure there were times when it took an extra week for ideas to flow. Occasionally the post was “nothing to write home about” but then some song, conversation, or epiphany would come and I would be able to write something helpful or inspiring. I suppose over time thoughts can become stagnant if we allow them to.

As I look back over my posts in the last year I also notice a common theme. I was struggling. Struggling to find my way. Just not having fun. The good news is that I have come to an understanding of what was going on in my life. I recognize now what I should have done back then. Could have made my life much more positive much sooner. The irony is that even back then I knew in my sub consciousness what I needed to do but for some reason did not do it.

So I need to revamp what I write. To do that I need to change the way I do certain things. My brother sent me a book this week. Tells me it’s an early birthday gift. Not sure I can accept that. The early birthday gift part. I am accepting the book. It is called The Right to Write written by Julia Cameron. I have only read a few pages and already have a better understanding of where I was at with my writing and where I need to go to get back on track.

What resonates with me is when the author of the book challenges the reader (writer) to listen. To get direction from what is around us. She suggests that when we force ourselves to write, writing becomes a chore and becomes less effective. When we listen to the world around us, and by world I mean people, music, stories, events, to name a few, we find the direction. We come to an understanding that it is not about us and through that understanding are better at writing and better at communicating. That is where I was. I was forcing myself to write. I was consumed by my own issues. And when I check back it is easy to recognize when I felt forced to write and when the writing came from a natural flow of thoughts created by listening.

So here I go. A new start. Since 2010 I have posted 246 times. I have often alluded to the benefits I found in writing. In a sense it is a type of journaling. And we all know journaling is a huge benefit in finding clarity in this journey we call life. I need to get back to that. Find the time and the energy to put pen to paper.

Here is another quote from the book. “We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.” Make it a good one.

“Whether you say you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford