Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time. – Leonard Bernstein.
My last post was about where our best ideas come from. Sadly, it takes a lot of living to discover those “great ideas.” There is a ton of soul searching going on in between the pivotal moments in our life. We struggle to stay committed when the going gets rough and we have to face reality. To be honest, I get scared just as much as you do.
So when when life feels repetitive, boring and just too ordinary, what can we do to stay productive with our writing?
That’s a good question. One I can answer briefly and to the point.
We all have a bad habit of thinking our life is not as good as someone else’s. With our connected world, it’s easy to follow the lives of others and lose focus on how much we really have. The key is to separate yourself from that for a while each day.
You must disconnect to reconnect with your writing.
A real book is not one that’s read, but one that reads us. – W.H. Auden
Turn off your phone. Turn off your internet. Before you start writing, focus on your ordinary life. Why? Because your life is actually extraordinary. It’s not as boring as you think it is. Here is why.
- You have relationships. There are people you care about that have a big influence on your life. Those relationships can give us a lot to write about. They might not be big ideas, but they are ideas none the less.
- You have passions. All of us have things in our life we care a lot about. Whether it’s a skill, a hobby or being a good parent, those are things worth writing about.
- You are different. There is no one else like you. Even if you’re a twin, you have different thoughts, different perceptions and different experiences. You have a unique way to share what you know and what you ponder.
There are extraordinary details to be found in your life. I guaruntee it. You just have to unplug from technology to reconnect with you writing spirit.
After that, it’s a matter of motivation. Just sit down and write.
This post was inspired by a writing prompt from the Desk Community.
