I’m in Orlando, at the Suzanne Evans 10K business intensive, and while I’m gone I thought it would be fun to post some oldies.  I chose this one because it talks about one of my favorite topics: how writing makes you fall in love with the world.  (Note: Suzanne no longer does theta healing, but she does something else called RPT that is better.)

Dec. 13, 2007

I got up and worked on my new novel this morning (the one I didn’t write for Nanowrimo).  And all is right with the world because of it.  I’ve been very careful and fussy with this novel so far.  This morning I let it rip.  For whatever reason, and I have some theories, I was able, finally, to let go and let the words flow.

And then the world is the most beautiful place and I am in love with everything–my ugly old shoes, the dirty dishes, the sunrise, the trees outside, the hours of other work I have to do.  In my studies about Zen (though I really hate to say studies because it is more about experience) I read all the time about enlightenment.  And I think this is the feeling that the enlightened ones get.  But who knows, and who cares.  All I know is that it is the way I want to live in the world, always.  And if it takes getting up early to accomplish it, so be it.

The key concept of letting writing rip, for me, is to write fast.  When I write fast, I bypass the critic and the harsh editor and the voice of my character’s true self is able to emerge from within.  Yes, I make a lot of errors and yes I write a lot of crap.  But those are minor problems that can be fixed later. What you can’t achieve (or I should say, what I can’t achieve) through fussing over every word is the flow and the tone and the style.  And what does that all add up to?  Voice, of course.

Along these same lines I recently read a piece a friend wrote and, while the writing was at a very high level, I could tell how much he had labored over it and worked and re-worked it, which did not do the piece any favors.  It made it feel just the wee-est bit stilted and overdone.

So, what are my theories on how I finally managed to it rip?  Here we go:

• Chance favors the prepared mind.  ie, I’ve been pondering this story and its been churning around in the back of my mind, and finally its ready to be told.  I do believe that every story has its moment.
• I’ve been sitting down every morning to write, regardless.  I am also a firm believer that the Muse likes discipline.  Others will tell you this is not so, but believe me, it is.
• Suzanne did some theta healing on me to cure a wee, ah, hangover I had after hanging out with my friend Sue from Nashville.   And while she was at it she threw in focus and clarity for me.

Your guess is as good as mine as to which of these was most instrumental in getting me going again.  And, at this point, I don’t really much care.  Because if I had a good work session I can have another tomorrow.  Momentum builds when one is writing every day.  And when one is writing every day, the novel pages pile up.

So it doesn’t really matter what the reason might be.  Because I am in love with the world.