How to get yourself to write
/Maybe you’ve got some ideas in your head you need to get out.
Maybe you’ve been wanting to start journaling.
Maybe you’ve taken one of my classes and you listen to me keep talking about how great writing is.
No matter what inspired you to bring pen to paper, the chances are that you’ve had the experience of getting stuck with how to actually let the words flow out of your pen.
Or maybe you always intend to take the time out but it just never happens.
Whatever the case may be, here is the perfect place to work through the initial blocks and finally get yourself to start writing.
In high school, I was introduced to the work of Natalie Goldberg and it changed my life. In her book, Writing Down the Bones, she outlines 6 guidelines for how to write down your “first thoughts.”
You see, when we start writing it externalizes what’s inside of us. We can find ourselves both writing and simultaneously commentating on what we’re writing.
This voice is the Censor, the Inner Editor, or the Critic. It’s the voice of fear and wants to protect us, and it will often edit what we’re trying to get out. Not only does it change what we’re writing, making it more safe and often less authentic, but it can be so discouraging that we stop or don’t even write at all!
So here’s Natalie Goldberg’s Guidelines
Keep your hand moving.
Don’t cross out.
Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar.
Lose control.
Don’t think, don’t get logical.
Go for the jugular.
Now, you can use these for just clearing your mind and head, but also if you’re a serious writer and just need to get started.
I like to pair writing with working with essential oils. Aromatics add a beautiful dimension to the connection between the our head and our heart.
You can join me in a 3-month journey in using essential oils for healing and transformation through creative expression in the Healing Circle Mentorship starting August 1.
