As promised, here are the suggestions submitted by some of my writer friends.
Cyrus says, “Close your eyes. Inhale good thoughts; exhale bad thoughts. Breathing deeply, take your body and mind to the stars. Release your mind from any thoughts and continue to breathe. Re-engage your mind with thoughts of walking without floors, seeing without eyes, hearing without ears, and become one with yourself. Empty your mind, fill your heart and breathe. Let the thoughts and words come through you and not to you.”
Wow! That’s some existential stuff there, Cyrus...very meditative. I do meditate in preparation for prayer, but I never thought about preparing for writing this way. I’ll definitely try it.
Monti, another author friend, suggests, “Go for a walk, find a tree, and discover an image in the bark patterns. Write about that image, tell what it means to you, and what the important words are. Put it in the little notebook you are carrying with you.”
Yes to the walking part, Monti! It’s one of my favorite energizer activities, and it works equally well for increasing both physical and mental energy. I like the bark idea, too. That’s definitely a new one, and I will try it. The “little notebook” is my phone, but it’s the same concept.
This morning, after my first good night’s sleep in a week, I realized I wasn’t in a crisis. I was just plain tired. Sometimes I don’t recognize when I need to take a break. I think I’m supposed to trudge through the fog of fatigue when stopping to rest and recharge would be a better plan.
But I appreciate the excellent suggestions from Monti and Cyrus. How about you other creative writers? What do you do to re-engage your muse?
Please check out my author website: https://www.cindylfreeman.com/ where you’ll find a couple of FREE gifts just for visiting.
I love Monti's idea, I will try that!!!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Cyrus!
ReplyDeleteCyrus has a plan from which we all could benefit. My mother told me to take the time to smell the roses. I never did.
ReplyDeleteI taught art in the elementary school in West Point for 14 years (until 2012). Each day, I would have the children pause, close their eyes, cover them (without touching) with their hands, and take a deep breath. Then, I had them focus (in their minds) on a black dot and then had them "see" it turn into something related to the day's art project. I've had many of the children, now grown, tell me they use this technique in their lives now. Very satisfying to hear.