Ten Daily Habits That Make a (Good) Writer

An Excerpt from

A Writer's Book of Days *

by

Judy Reeves**

 

 

 

These ten daily habits that make a (good) writer are excerpted from the book:

 

1.         Eat Healthfully. Give your body what it really wants so it can support you. You may think it wants caffeine, sugar, or alcohol, but it really wants broccoli and spinach. Eat healthfully for stamina, good health, and the sensory experience of it. (Notice your carrots when you eat them, their color and crunch. Smell that onion; look closely at its layers and textures.) Eat several small meals throughout the day; begin with a good breakfast.

2.         Be Physical. Remember when your mother warned you about making faces ("your face could freeze that way")? If you're sitting at your desk all hours of the day and night, your whole body could petrify that way. Move it -- stretch, exercise, work out. Breathe. It roils the blood and feeds the brain. When you walk, run, bicycle, or swim, you're in touch with the earth (unless you do it in a gym, and in that case, get outside). Do it alone so you can pay attention to your body and notice your environment as you glide along.

3.         Laugh Out Loud. You take big breaths when you laugh out loud. Laughing helps rid the body of toxins. So lighten up. Take a break from work, and play with your puppy or your child or your neighbor's child. Look at cartoons; tell a joke; share with friends. Find something funny in the world and let loose belly laughs. Create a playground for the Muse.

4.         Read. Read as much as you can of the best writers. Read on two levels: one as a reader and one as a writer. Study how other writers use language, how they construct a piece. Notice what you love about certain writers. Try reading aloud (especially poetry) before you write.

5.         Cross-Fertilize. Experience another art form -- music, photography, dance, painting, sculpture, film, theater. Keep open books of art in your writing space, a basketful of postcard art to leaf through. If music distracts you while you write, listen at other times when you can absorb the music and it is not just a background sound. Visit a museum; walk in a sculpture garden. Let other art evoke your own.

6.         Practice Spirituality. Take time every day (or several times a day) to consciously go to that place you name Sacred -- through prayer, meditation, or simply being mindful and present in the present. Make time for whatever you do that keeps you in touch with your spiritual self.

7.         Pay Attention. Notice the quality of light, the heft of air, color of sky, faces, clouds, flowers, garbage, graffiti -- all of it. Slow down and pay attention. Stop during your walks and examine a leaf. Read the writing in shop windows. Observe people getting on a bus, the bus driver, the stink of the bus exhaust.

8.         Give Back. Do something good or kind for someone or the planet. Speak to someone you don't know, smile, help a friend (or a stranger), plant a flower, reuse a paper bag, wrap a gift with newspaper, walk instead of driving. Be generous with whatever you have to give.

9.         Connect with Another Writer. Meet a writing friend for coffee, write a letter to a writer whose work you admire (email counts, but not as much as a real handwritten letter in a real envelope with a real stamp that will arrive in someone's mailbox), make a phone call to a writer friend. Attend a poetry reading, a book signing; take part in a workshop. Write with someone. Go online to a writers' chat room, join an online writers' group, respond to a blog, email a poem to a friend.

10.              Write. Sometime, someplace, every day, honor your writer-self and spend some time writing.

# # #

 

*Excerpted from the book A Writer's Book of Days:  Copyright C 2010 by Judy Reeves. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.

 

 To order this book from Amazon.com, click here!

 

Creativity is a Gift We've All Been Given

By Judy Reeves

 

A friend of mine once said, "I'm just not creative." I was astounded. I knew her as a motivational speaker, an organizer of volunteers who got people to give not just money, but of themselves. I'd been to her home, which was beautifully decorated and I'd eaten meals she'd prepared. Delicious! How could she think of herself as not creative?

 

            This woman, like many others I've met, somehow has the idea that unless they produce "art," they don't get to claim themselves creative. So, first thing, when anyone asks me how to be more creative, or how to get in touch with their creativity, I always ask what creativity means to them. Too often we limit our creativity and ourselves because we've put the idea of creativity into a box labeled ART. By doing this, we limit something that, by its very nature, has no limits.

 

            Think of Creation itself. Think of Mother Nature. Think of yourself as a child when all the world was imagination. Cows were purple, flowers grew as high as houses and clouds flew across the sky like great winged horses.

 

            "Who can sing?" the kindergarten teacher asks and 16 hands shoot in the air. "Who can write a story?" the Brownie troop leader asks. Seven girls say, "I can." And then they do, with gusto and great joy.

 

            Then somewhere around adolescence teachers begin to grade us on our "creativity." Competitions are set up. Those of us with less natural talent in singing or drawing, or who never learned to play an instrument beyond the triangle in first grade, begin to judge ourselves, too. Maybe we're told cows aren't purple, or nice girls don't write like that or boys don't play with doll clothes. We become self-conscious about making art or using our imaginations. By the time we are adults, we may have turned completely away from this expressive part of ourselves.

 

            But creativity is a natural part of all human beings, like love and hope, and even though we turn away or shut down or deny, it remains steadfastly within us.  We may feel a certain longing when we listen music or attend an art exhibit or pass by a window decorated with whimsy or daring. Creativity is catching and it takes a great deal of effort to suppress our own. Whether we acknowledge it our not, our creativity leaks out in some manner -- the way we furnish our homes, landscape our yards, prepare meals, or dress ourselves.

 

            This is what I know about creativity: the more you do it, the more whole you feel. The less you judge it, the more pleasure you derive. Creativity brings  playfulness to our lives that is often missing. Want a boost in self-esteem? Engage in your natural creativity.

 

            How to get in touch with this innate creativity, especially if you're someone who doesn't consider yourself creative? 

 

The first step is to acknowledge that you are a creative being. You might as well because just like having blue eyes or brown, there's little you can do about it anyhow. Consider it a gift that you have been given by a generous and loving creator. One that will bring you fulfillment and can also give pleasure to others. Claim your creativity and welcome it.

 

            The second step is to pay attention to expressions of creativity in your life. Slow down. Be mindful. Notice how your body responds to any sort of creativity, human-made or natural. The way you respond physically offers a clue to what stirs you and often what stirs you can guide you to your own creative gifts.

 

The third step is an action step. Make a list of specific creative expressions you have experienced in your life that gave you pleasure. Don't stop to think, just write them down as quickly as they come to you.

 

When I pretended I could play the ukelele

The time I rollerskated like a dancer to "Lean on Me."

The collage I made at the women's retreat

 

Include at least 20 specific instances when you felt good in the process of being creative.

 

Without reservation write a short journal piece on what creative act you see yourself doing. Let it be as playful, silly or flamboyant as it wants. Don't judge what appears as impossible or crazy. Trust your intuitive guide.

 

Doing these exercises will give you information about yourself that you may have forgotten or never acknowledged. Celebrate it.

 

And finally, the fourth step: Create.

 

Creativity is not thinking about creating; it's doing it. You don't have to already know how to do something to do it. And you don't have to be "good." Just be present. Let go of any judgment and enjoy.

 

Ultimately you may uncover or discover something that brings you so much pleasure you want to get better at it. So you take lessons, or get a mentor. Or you may find satisfaction in the doing of the thing. The point is to live fully and mindfully and that means giving voice to our creative expressions whatever sound we make.

 

May yours be a joyful noise.

 

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In the completely updated 10th Anniversary Edition of A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion & Lively Muse for the Writing Life (New World Library, September 6, 2010) beloved author and writing coach Judy Reeves evokes the muse in writers from all walks of life through engaging exercises and practical instruction in a friendly and accessible style that makes writing fun.

 

*Based on the book A Writer's Book of Days:  Copyright C 2010 by Judy Reeves. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.

**Judy Reeves  teaches writing and leads creativity workshop and is cofounder of the Writing Center, a nonprofit literary arts organization. She lives in San Diego, CA. Visit her online at http:// www.judyreeveswriter.com/.

 To order this book from Amazon.com, click here!