Why Writing Is Not Hard #9

Or, to summarize yesterday's post...

I have met the enemy and the enemy is us.

And, before I go on, I am not intending for you to blame yourself for your writing problems. Before we decide how to intervene, however, we must understand the nature of a problem.

Why Writing Is Not Hard #8

To paraphrase Epictetus, men and women are not influenced by events, but the views they hold of these events.

Writing. An event. Writing as performative.

Repeat Epictetus’s words to yourself a few times. Think about your writing. Let it sink in.

Why Writing Is Not Hard #7

If you would have written (see my last post) for a large enough incentive, even for a short period of time, what does that say? Might writing not be the problem? Might writing itself not be inherently difficult or painful, but might instead your appraisal of writing be problematic? 

Perhaps something or somethings you learned, that you now carry with you into the writing process, are truly what hinder you? Could it be that you have internalized messages throughout your education or family life about writing and your abilities that continue to influence your perspective on writing today? 

And, perhaps, these internalized messages are reinforced by public spaces such as social media, where you find others who insist that writing is a painful, contested and traumatic activity?

Why Writing Is Not Hard #6

Ok. You have not written in a month. It’s too hard. You just can’t do it, no matter how much you try.

How about this: if I gave you a million dollars to write a 500 word “literature review”  about a topic you know, by midnight tomorrow, would you do it?

Why Writing Is Not Hard #5

."...because pain is mandatory, and suffering is optional. "

           A notion, an idea, a teaching, attributed to many, but one that lies at the heart of Buddhist thought.

   

Why Writing Is Not Hard #4

You know what has been hard? Recovering from two total knee replacements. Discovering the balance between being gentle on my still-healing limbs and pushing my recovery forward. Learning to walk down stairs again semi-normally. Being able to bend enough to fit my legs into the cramped seat for the Hall and Oats concert that my honey took me to for my birthday.

And even these things, really, are hard somedays and not others, even though my physical abilities do not change from one day to the next. 

What changes from one day to the next?

My thinking, perspective, and attitude change one day to the next.