![]() By Shirin Shamsi Writing is not meant to be easy. After all, it’s a lot like pouring one’s heart and soul onto paper. Sometimes life’s challenges get in the way of our writing. There are many times when my writing comes to a complete standstill. Though the dreaded ‘Writer’s Block’ is the nemesis of every writer, sometimes it’s not just that, it’s juggling the many other parts of life that can also get in the way of writing. So how does one find a way to navigate life’s vicissitudes and stay the course, keeping creativity alive? The answer is simple: Be gentle on yourself. That is so freeing. When I tell myself, “I didn’t write today.” Or that, “This week was a bad writing week.” The anxiety begins to build up slowly as the pressure increases, thus creating an insurmountable mountain of stress, which ends up making it more difficult to be creative. For me, there no doubt about it, my creativity evaporates under pressure. Relaxing and finding ways to replenish my soul, often feeds my creativity. Accepting my writing – or lack of it - as not being perfect, lessens the anxiety and pressure. Doing things often unrelated to writing, can bring me back to writing. For example, I recently watched a T.V. show based on a book series I read years ago. It brought back so many childhood memories for me. It reignited my creative memory and inspired a memoir-type project that really got my writing flowing. Find ways to replenish your soul, to reignite the creativity within: 1: Read or watch something you enjoyed as a child. 2: Write morning pages, that Julia Cameron suggests in her book, The Artists Way. 3: Learn something new or have always wanted to try your hand at. For example, if you’re not an artist, learn to draw – it’s what I am doing and I love it! Whenever I’m at a dead end in a manuscript, I begin sketching or coloring. It’s wonderful. 4: Take a walk, exercise, do yoga, meditate – any change of scene should boost your creativity. Happy Writing!
2 Comments
4/3/2023 07:13:51 pm
Thank you, Shirin! Being gentle with ourselves allows creativity to flow. Finding ways to stay open, observant, and ready for inspiration when it comes by helps me. You're reminding me to try another creative pursuit to kindle the magic, as well. Happy writing!
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Thanks, Shirin! Practicing self-compassion enables us to unlock our creative potential. Keeping ourselves receptive, attentive, and prepared to receive inspiration can also aid us in our creative endeavors. Your suggestion to explore a new creative pursuit to reignite that spark is a great reminder. Best of luck with your writing!
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We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with awesome multi-published former student Shirin Shamsi who will be focusing on Muslim and cultural kidlit. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things. 4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
May 2023
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