WRITING
5 Ways How Writing Can Recharge Your Soul
How you too can apply the 5 rules that I learned as a new writer
Are you writing right now? I hope not, only because you should be reading this article. Or maybe you’re doing both.
Do you agonize about not being able to write? Many authors do, some even record depressive experiences, spun through whining journal entries to express the torment of not being able to assemble a single sentence.
We call this writer's block. A label that writers use when we can't seem to get the words out, let alone string them together in a coherent fashion. Writer’s block is a generic term that means something different to every writer, but it happens to everyone from time to time.
As it turns out, this perceived paralysis maybe a gift.
History has proven that almost every famous writer endures a dry spell, periods of procrastination that arrests their creative flow.
Or does it? What I mean by that is “block” might be crucial for flow.
A contradiction, maybe, but it’s possible that block is no more than a precursor to flow. The calm before the storm. A necessary part of the process to allow our subconscious minds to conjure up and connect new ideas, culminating in the wonderful creative throughput of thought.
This article is about the ways that the ebb and flow of the writing journey can recharge our souls to produce our best work.
We Write
Most of us write to some degree at varying stages of our lives. From early childhood scribbles, throughout our academic journey before applying our evolving skills in our chosen profession or as a hobby.
Writing is a tool that humankind uses to communicate, educate, learn and create.
The vast majority of us write as a function, a task relevant to our stage in life. At university, we write to study or prepare a paper. At work, we do so to compile a report, draft an email or just make notes. For some, it's simply a pastime, for others, a profession.
This piece is not about the function of writing. Rather it's about the flow of writing from the soul with tips to nurture the inner passion that every writer knows, sometimes motionless and still, with periodic eruptions of creative bliss.
Writing can recharge our soul when we adopt 5 simple rules for creativity.
Rule №1 — Capture and record your ideas
We all have plenty of ideas every single day. Think about it, how often do you have ideas? From experience, we have them much more often than we think.
Ideas are born out of fleeting thoughts that blindside us on a random Tuesday.
A lot of my ideas are terrible, at least initially. Then at random moments, another idea springs to mind, making a terrible idea that more appealing.
In the past, my ideas were forgotten, swept away by the wind of my mind. I dismissed them without a second thought. The reality is that my subconscious mind was trying to tell me something.
That's the nature of ideas, they arrive without warning. They have a tendency to crop up when we least expect it. This creative-inconvenience is something that most great writers are prepared for. They’ve learned to capture these intuitive gifts as soon as they appear.
“Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul — and you answer.” — Terri Guillemets
Today I record my ideas, using one of the five tools below depending on when and where an idea manifests:
How to apply — There’s an abundance of choices out there for writers to harvest the fruits of our wonderful minds, so here are 5:
- A notepad — Good old pen and paper is one of the best ways to capture our ideas. It’s easy to do plus you never lose battery power. In the digital age, there’s something magical about writing notes on paper, igniting kinetic energy of mind and body
- An App — Recording notes on your smartphone is convenient when you can’t or don’t want to look for a pen and paper. There are loads of apps out there, so pick your favourite. I’d recommend Evernote or the notes app installed for free on your phone
- Voice — Use your phone voice recorder, or a dictaphone to speak your ideas out loud
- Phone — The free notes app installed on your phone is an alternative to Apps like Onenote or Evernote
- Share — If you’re in the company of others, sharing your thoughts at the moment they arrive is a great way to refine your idea
Rule №2 — Self-expression
Writing is an art form, an expression of self. It's a magical channel at our fingertips. Self-expression is the act of giving life to our thoughts, ideas and emotions.
Writing funnels our ideas and feelings for deeper exploration through articles, abstract prose, poetry or personal notes. Writing is a great way to delve into the inner workings of our mind, supported by our body and soul.
“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” ― Joan Didion
How to apply — Never hold back. Any piece that you write is self-expressive. If you write to share with others remember to edit, cleaning out the fluff for publication. If your expression is private, write anyway, you can always delete, bin it or burn it afterwards.
Have the courage to let your truthful words flow from the heart. Being open and free to express yourself by writing is a cathartic experience, a very healthy endeavour indeed.
Rule №3 — Creative flow
Creativity can ebb and flow. When creativity flows it’s like a river as inspiring ideas come rushing in wave after wave. Our energetic peak is prolonged as we stay awake into the early hours of the morning under the spell of deep thought. It’s a magical feeling.
Then without warning — Bam — we crash. The magic vanishes.
What just happened? Even our desire, our enthusiasm to write no longer burns inside. Tiny efforts to reignite that spark feels like “trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.”
A sense of loss consumes us as we question our creative ability. Maybe I’ll never have another great idea ever again?
How to apply — Chill out. This is the ebb of creativity, so perfectly normal, I assure you. No one feels the flow of creativity all the time. Like anything in life, creativity is no different than a boat on the high seas, navigating a succession of waves with plenty of ups and downs.
Accept that you can never feel inspired all the time. Likewise, a crash won't last forever either. So rather than resisting the loss of that high, by trying to force it to happen again while you fret over the impending crash, stop, relax, and breath to let your flow unfurl.
Learn to embrace the lows of your creative ebb today to surf the flow of ambiguity tomorrow.
A constant high is a one way street to burnout. So learn to take a break. Use this time to recharge for the next wave of flow that will arrive. Downtime is a necessity for writers to nourish the soul. So be kind to yourself when you’re in an ebb-state, let the momentum unfold naturally.
Rule №4 — Write from the heart to open your mind
We all write articles that are … how do I put this? … dull. Uninspiring. Boring even. Devoid of personality. Pieces that lack spirit.
There's no need to panic. Every writer is guilty of this. I do it all the time. It can take years to perfect a writing style that connects consistently with our readers. I’m still learning how to make my writing more engaging.
Writing is a never-ending journey of discovery as we learn new ways of expressing our creative ideas. Few writers are the ‘finished article’. It’s an ongoing process, so be patient. To fine-tune your writing skill you need to be comfortable with the uncomfortable ebbs and flows of creativity.
“Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.” — Stephen King
How to apply — It takes work to master the ability to create heartfelt and meaningful writing. It takes commitment to your art. Like any mastery, such as musicians or athletes, it can take years to develop world-class skills. So invest time in your writing.
Every writer has the ability to improve their emotive expression. What I’ve learned from other writers is that there are 3 laws to this, sub-rules that enhance our ability to create inspirational writings. Here they are:
- Write with passion from the heart
- Make sure it’s relevant to your target audience
- Convey emotion through your words using emotive-words
It’s no secret that writing from the heart opens the doorway to our soul. So listen to your heart.
№5 — Connect the dots
As we know creativity does not announce itself at predefined moments. It never-ever books an appointment. It only makes itself known through random ideas that spring out of nowhere.
To harness the creative potential that random ideas hold, writers learn to apply two types of thinking:
- Convergent thinking— This is the ability to combine multiple thoughts, often very different ideas that we connect in our minds to form something completely unique.
- Divergent thinking — This involves cultivating multiple ideas to form a selection of potential solutions for a single idea.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” — Steve Jobs
How to apply — Writing is word-innovation. A potential invention that’s incubated in the soul.
Some of what we write can be dull, but over time we can learn to apply ways of thinking to raise our game and deliver a piece of work that evokes abstract thought in our readers. The best way to do this is to keep writing, even when you’re in the midst of an ebb.
As Steve Jobs said, “Creativity is just connecting things”, connecting the dots to form something new or unique to share with the world.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, allow me to leave you with an acronym to simplify the 5 tips discussed above, namely — R.E.F.O.L.D!
To expand, “Refold” means this:
- Record — Capture and record all your ideas every day
- Express — Always express the beauty inside you
- Flow — Let the creative magic flow when it arrives
- Be Open to Listen — An open mind actively listens to the heart
- Dots — Join the dots that are uniquely yours
Writers accept that the ebbs and flows of writing go hand in hand. Writer's block is simply part of the process. Without one the other cannot exist. The 5 steps of R.E.F.O.L.D is one method for writers to recharge the soul.
