When Not Writing is Writing

Writing stalled last week, but that doesn't mean I'm not creating. As a writer I'm a bit like mushrooms: Under the correct conditions I will fruit all at once, but mostly I'm working away underground and out of sight.

For me, creative energy is cyclical, sometimes introverted and sometimes extroverted. So even if I'm not working actively on my projects every day, I'm still thinking about them. The word has to be thought before it is written.

Although the editing of my second book is excruciatingly slow at the moment, I have been journaling daily - sometimes several times daily. My writing hand and my writing voice are still being exercised in private.

When a fork appears in the road it can be necessary to stop and review. I had been preparing to commence writing a new non-fiction book, but there's a novel in my head that won't leave me alone. I have a short draft, but it needs proper planning and rewriting. This is a different style of writing for me that requires a different set of skills and state of consciousness. So my apparent standstill is simply a review. 

But rarely am I comfortable with these lulls in creative output and decisions often leave me stricken for a while. My struggle with PTSD makes everything such a drama! Meditation has helped me to move through this underground work. Having a set of meditation practices created just for me, really helps me to manage my consciousness.  This week I put a short rescue meditation into practice based on the elemental power of fire.

 

1.     Visualise a problem or intrusive thought

2.     Visualise that thought wrapped in a bubble

3.     Send that bubble toward the Sun

4.     Visualise the bubble entering the Sun and disappearing

5.     Feel the warmth of the Sun on your solar plexus energy centre, below the sternum and above the navel

6.     Repeat as often as necessary

Eventually this technique takes only a second to perform. It is simple and immediate – as quick as a thought. It is suitable for the most fractured attention span. The discipline is in remembering to repeat the exercise. When I remember, it works. 

The primary quality of the element of fire is the power to transform. By using this archetypal energy we are tapping into our personal alchemical abilities. These powers are known to every system of thought, including scientific. I'll be expanding on meditation much more in the future. It is the topic of my second book.

So my plan for the coming week is to emerge from underground and channel the erupting energy into editing. I also need to pull out a new notebook and start planning how to bring my new novel together.

May we remember to greet the Sun.

Leanne Margaret.

P.S. I wrote this blog in Word due to problems with saving in Blogger. Upon pasting back into Blogger, I ended up with some confused formatting. But my perfectionist side is tired. 😴