The books you carry should feed you and/or push you. Right now, I’m carrying The Pocket Pema Chodron. Her mediations are poetic in nature, and comfort and inspire. Pema will be a mainstay, I can tell, but I also have a couple of poetry books and a book of short stories in the car ready to grab in the moment that I have quiet time. It might be over lunch, waiting in the car line to pick up my child, or taking a walk away from the office or home.
As for activities, the two that are reliable for me (if not convenient for writing!) are walking and driving. Long walks outside, and long drives almost always produce enough quiet time for me to arrive at a line of poetry. It may be meditation, music, running, sleeping, anything that gets you to the spot where you are able to let the thoughts and images come forth, but find that activity and make it part of your day or week.
My writing and reading habits grew out of a need to survive, but have since morphed into living a life that is more rich and more appreciated. The main takeaway, then, is for you, the writer, to be present in your own writing process and to be prepared to capture what flows forth. When a line comes to you, what were you just doing? Is your journal close by? Do you email yourself? Record a voice memo? Make the activities and act of writing non-negotiable parts of your life. Embed them. I was able to skirt the edges of my own abyss through writing, and while writing is not a cure-all, it has enabled me to live a life of deeper reflection and less existential pain. There are no drawbacks to making writing a priority, only benefits.
17
"I believe the key is embedding creativity into one's day..."
So how does the everyday writer incorporate creativity into her life? I find creativity to be a mix of the organic (letting the muse appear) and plain old hard work. I do not schedule time on my calendar to write, but I do write, edit, or read almost each day. To be a good writer, one must also be a good reader. So, on the days when I do not draft a new poem, edit an existing one, write down last night’s dream, or scribble a thought into my journal, I am sure to read something worthwhile. I believe the key is embedding creativity into one’s day -- so that creativity (in any shape) is as expected as brushing one’s teeth. Meetings are to be scheduled; writing is a way of life.
There are three “musts” that I feel are worth sharing, as they are things I do and I know they make a difference for me (but finding one’s own “musts” are key): always carry and write in a journal, always have reading material on hand, and always engage in activities that allow your creativity to find its way out.
My preference is a journal that is small enough to fit in my bag, yet it is not so precious that I will be upset over coffee or grease stains. It is true that if you do not write down a thought or line, you will forget it -- it will evaporate as soon as you wish to recall it. My own process has also revealed that if I type up my first draft, it appears too finished, way too soon. The method of putting pen to paper makes my poems better.
Handmade journals made by Rosemary, available for purchase here.