The Art of Mindful Writing
Writing mindfully is actually … kinda fun
Before you read this post, you might want to read my little tutorial on Mindfulness Meditation.
When you do mindfulness meditation, generally your breath is the focal point. That’s because your breath is handy and always with you, but you can select anything to be a focal point. Tibetan monks concentrate on mental images of elaborate mandalas. That’s lovely but not necessary!
For a writer, the focal point is the story, the idea or the simple act of getting words on the page.
Steven Pressfield starts his writing day with a little prayer to the muse. I think he made it clear that he doesn’t believe that such a person actually exists, but the prayer becomes a signal to his subconscious that “we are doing this project now and it is the focal point.” Writing — any creative work, really, but writing is today’s topic — can be a focal point.
Willpower
Forget willpower, it’s useless…. Okay, not entirely useless but its use is very limited.
The problem with willpower is that it wears out very quickly. Anyone on a diet has figured that out. You can only make yourself do so much.
So staying focused on your writing and getting it done isn’t a product of willpower.
Discipline
Discipline is willpower’s homely sister. It’s a little easier to stick to than willpower because it’s usually more process focused, where willpower is task focused.
A consistent creative practice looks like discipline. Some people may even brag about their discipline. But nobody does something day in and day out without some love involved. Discipline is bragging rights but satisfaction and happiness are hidden under discipline’s skirts.
So we return our attention to our breath — or the page.
That’s where meditation returns to the picture. In meditation, you practice releasing thoughts and returning your attention to your focal point which is usually your breath.
In writing, you do the exact same thing except the focal point is the writing project.
When you take a break — and you should take a break every hour or so — while you are walking, snacking or visiting the restroom, it becomes very easy for thoughts and distractions to intrude. Gently release any thought that is not related to the writing project and return your attention to thinking about what you were writing. Either fantasize about the characters and setting of your story or list the talking points of the essay.
All this sounds suspiciously like willpower or discipline. But it’s not either one. It’s just writing with nothing extra.
All of this is easier if you have a mindful meditation practice, even a fairly sporadic one. When you practice letting thoughts go and returning to the focal point when you are not writing, makes it vastly easier when you are.
No willpower required.
Before you write.
Every writer trash talks their writing. No matter how much you love it, no matter how vital it is to the beating of your heart, we sometimes treat it as an enemy.
“Groan, I have to finish that essay / blog post / novel!”
When you notice a thought like that, gently give it a label: “thought.”
I write almost all my rough drafts longhand. When I get a thought that disparages writing, I imagine my hand writing out words. I remember the feeling of well-being that comes when I’m absorbed in a project.
The image of my hand writing and the feeling that comes with it become the focal point.
When I feel a tell-tale hesitancy that I know is the beginning of writer’s block, I imagine myself writing. I release the trepidation and return my attention to the imaginary physical act of creating.
I’m not a good writer.
Pretty much every writer knows that “good” or “bad” are irrelevant to the writing project. Everyone — and I mean everyone — gets better over time if they keep writing. So if this writing that you are doing right now isn’t objectively good, it doesn’t matter. It’s better than last time and next time will be even better.
So when you catch yourself thinking something unhelpful like “this is no good,” gently label that idea “thought,” let it go, and return your attention to the writing project. “I’m not any good” or “this isn’t any good” are thoughts with no more validity or power than “what’s for lunch?”
Writing is hard.
It’s just a thought like any other. Of course writing is hard but you are clearly and obviously up to it. So when this thought drifts by, you can label it as “thought” and let it go. Rest your attention on your lovelorn heroin or your essay on the semiotics of clothing.
Get distracted, return. Get distracted, return. Rinse, repeat.
Everyone thinks from time to time that “this is hard,” “this is bad,” “this is a chore.” There are dozens more unhelpful things writers tell themselves. I’m sure you can think of a few more than what I’ve mentioned here.
Some of those things sound as true as the truest thing you’ve ever heard. Whether your thought is true is irrelevant. It’s still a distraction away from the project, away from the focal point.
Let me repeat: the truth value of those distracting thoughts is irrelevant. They may feel true to you but your job isn’t to litigate that.
Your job is merely to write.
And mindful meditation helps.
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The above article is an excerpt of my forthcoming book on meditation. Meanwhile, you might enjoy:
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