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Copy of Lesson 15 – Establishing a Successful Writing Practice

You may be wondering how to set up your day and life in such a way that you bring forth your best writing. With even a little willingness, you can establish regular practices that maximize the quality of your writing and your joy in expressing it. In this lesson I will share with you some of the practices that work for me, hoping that some of them, or variations, might work for you, or that you will be inspired to create your own routine that fits your vision and lifestyle.

Time and Timing for Writing

My favorite time to write is early in the morning, soon after I awaken and do my meditation or other spiritual practice. At that time, the world is quiet and my mind is fresh. If I can get in an hour or two of writing before the busyness of the day sets in, I feel that my day is already worthwhile.

I also like to write before I go to sleep. The rest of the family has gone to bed and the world is quiet again. I write until I am tired or my mind gets fuzzy. I never try to push past weariness. In the morning my mind will be fresh again.

Aside from my two regular writing times, I can write just about any place at any time. I love to write on airplanes, in hotel rooms, and outdoors. I connect to my writing source and I screen everything else out. Writing is so empowering for me that there are few things I would rather give my attention to.

Exercise:

What time(s) of day do you find most conducive to writing?
How long can you write before you become tired or edgy?
Can you stop writing when you have run out of steam, and return at another time?

Focus and Boundaries

I have a quiet, private place on my property where I go to write. In this serene space I can focus intensely without interruption. My writing goes faster and deeper in this protected environment. My partner thoughtfully respects my writing time, and she does not interrupt me.

I suggest that you create a writing space where you can focus. Do nothing else there but write, or related inspirational activities. I do not take my phone into my writing space, nor do I do emails, business, or any other work on my computer. I pray there, meditate, and read uplifting material. As a result, the space builds up a retreat/temple vibration. The moment I enter, I am connected to Source, and the doors of inspiration open.

If you do not have a separate room or space on your property to claim as your writing space, you can designate a comfortable chair or a desk. That will serve well as your temple. Do nothing else there but write or immerse yourself in uplifting activities.

If you have trouble setting boundaries for your writing, remember that Albert Einstein gave his wife strict instructions not to disturb him when he was in his laboratory. Consider the brilliant, life-changing science that emerged from Einstein’s personal think tank. You must have the same confidence that you deserve a dedicated writing space.

Exercise:

In what place do you prefer to write with the most inspiration and least distractions?
If you do not already have a preferred place, what space would you like to use?
What would be your next step to establish your writing space?
What boundaries do you need to set to create a private space without interruptions?

Spiritual Preparation for Writing

I always say a prayer before I write. While the prayer has evolved over the years, the essence is that I ask Spirit for guidance to bring through the purest material that will help all the right people, bless their lives, and mine as well. God has consistently answered that prayer, ever magnifying the results.

If you have another spiritual practice like yoga, meditation, affirmation, tai chi, or A Course in Miracles, you can do that before writing. Whatever connects you to Spirit will show up in your writing and amplify the gifts you give and receive.

Exercise:

What spiritual preparation helps you maximize your writing joy and effectiveness?
Write a prayer or affirmation you could use to set up your writing session guided by Spirit:

Writing Tools

I prefer to write on a laptop computer. I value the ability to edit and move elements around. It’s also fun to see the writing in printed form as it emerges. Some people prefer to write longhand, pen to paper. J.K. Rowling wrote several versions of Harry Potter longhand. Helen Schucman recorded the entire Course in Miracles on steno pads. Some people like to dictate into a recorder. There is no rule about the physical format for your writing. Whatever method works for you is the right one. You might consider upgrading your writing tool(s), like a new computer, pen you love, attractive journal book, or new chair or desk as a statement of faith and belief in yourself and your writing, and all the people you will serve.

Exercise:

What is your preferred tool for writing?
How might you honor your writing and yourself by upgrading your tool(s)?

Edit Effectively

I do many rounds of editing. I go over every chapter over and over and over until I am satisfied with it. In the process, I ask Spirit for what wants to be changed, and I listen for prompts. My guides show me what to add, delete, move around, or fine tune. If something feels off, I request the improvement, and it comes. I am very sensitive to the energy flow. All the words have to hit the right vibration. If I come to a word, sentence, paragraph, section, or chapter where the energy dips, I upgrade it or delete it. I once wrote the greater part of an entire book. When I went back to look at it, I did not feel the high vibration, so I dropped it. Eventually I returned with fresh eyes and I upgraded it to my satisfaction.

You must be excited about every word you write. No compromises. Don’t let it go until you feel that it is the best representation of what you want to say. If you are bored or not stimulated, your readers don’t stand a chance. Richard Bach advised that every word in a book should be a polished jewel. Bach is my role model for saying the most in the least amount of words. His books are quite short, yet brimming with brilliance and majesty.

At the same time, don’t be such a perfectionist that you delay or deny your product to come forth. Take your best shot and then release it to the universe.

I know I am done with a book when I have no desire to look at it anymore. I have said everything I need to say, and going over it again, or adding or subtracting anything, will not improve it. When it’s done, it’s done. Now it belongs to the world.

Exercise:

How much editing do you generally do?
Is this amount of editing just right for you, too much, or too little?
If you polished your words like jewels, how would you be writing differently?
How do you know when your project is done?

Feedback

When my manuscript is done, I show it to three or four friends whose opinion I respect. I ask them for feedback on the book, from theme to grammar to spelling. They are generous with their time and often give me very helpful ideas. Other people may see things I missed, or suggest a tweak I have not considered. Spirit is speaking to me through them. Some of their ideas resonate, and some don’t. I use what fits.

You might consider hiring a professional editor, proofreader, or writing consultant to review your work and give you suggestions. If you do, be sure you have screened this person well, and discussed your work in depth so you are sure they are attuned to your energy and intentions.

Spirit will guide you from within and from without.

Exercise:

On what aspects of your writing would you most like feedback?
Who can you show your writing to, to receive helpful feedback?

Deadlines and Lifelines

I don’t set deadlines for completing writing I self-publish. There’s a reason they call it a dead line. My enthusiasm powers me to keep going at a healthy clip. Every book has a life of its own. It is birthed when it is ready, not a day before or a day after.

Some of the books come in a few months, others in a few years. My last two novels took seven or eight years each, because I wrote sections of them intensively for a few months, put them aside to marinate for a few months, and then revisited them. During this extended time I published several nonfiction books I was writing side by side. The fiction remained as a fun go-to. That’s just how I do it. However you like to write is your own right way.

If I am working with a publisher with whom I have agreed on a deadline, then I stick to it. I meter my writing sessions out over the time allotted rather than waiting until the end and putting myself in a pressure situation. I ask Spirit to help me offer the best product within the deadline period, and Spirit always helps.

Exercise:

How do you feel about working with deadlines?
Do you work better under pressure, or free-flow?
If you do not have a deadline set by a publisher, how might you keep your writing going so it is completed and released in a timing that suits you?

The Open Canvas of Fiction

I enjoy writing both nonfiction and fiction. Nonfiction allows me to express my ideas explicitly without couching them in a larger story. I can be more direct about the points I wish to make. I can focus on a specific theme per book, and explore different themes over a series of books. I can speak to my audience person-to-person, and develop a relationship with them through common experiences. I base my nonfiction on my own life experiences and those of others. If I am addressing a particular subject like A Course In Miracles or Tao te Ching, I can use that material as a foundation, and riff on it.

Fiction is a lot more fun to write, and more challenging. Fiction provides a blank canvas with no fixed agenda or experience I have to be true to. As a fiction writer, I am God of my universe. I can make anything I want to happen, happen. I create the characters, breathe life into them, put them through various challenges facing chosen villains, send them mentors and allies, let them fall in love and out, give them exhilarating aha! moments, and guide them to fulfill their destiny. I can off them if it suits the plot. Fiction is a gym for the imagination, and also a playground. In writing fiction I have gleaned the tiniest hint of how God must feel to set the universe in motion and keep it unfolding.

My fictional characters are totally real to me. I know what they look like, their joys and sorrows, how their personalities operate, their shrouded secrets, character strengths and flaws, and why they make their choices. I have an intimate relationship with them. In some ways they are more real to me than many people who walk the physical world. The difference between fictional reality and everyday reality has become blurred.

My nonfiction and my fiction writing are becoming more like each other. When I tell real-life stories in my nonfiction, I bring in the skills I have learned through writing fiction to make the stories more alive and colorful, peppered with interesting dialogue. I tap into the deeper feelings of the human experience. Meanwhile I am getting better at infusing real-life lessons and themes into fiction. I am learning to wrap truth teachings in imaginary stories.

Spiritual masters tell us that the “real” world is nothing more than maya, a dream, an illusion—sounds a lot like fiction to me. Meanwhile, the world of illusion offers lessons that lead us to reality. Fiction and nonfiction are not so different at all.

Exercise:

Do you most enjoy writing nonfiction, or fiction?
Why?
Try your hand at a small piece of writing other than your preferred mode, and see what happens.

You Can’t Go Back and Make Unmade Beds

Sometimes I will go back and look at a book I wrote years ago. I may notice an element I would not include now. I no longer exactly believe an idea I espoused, or I wouldn’t say it the same way. Or a section seems a bit verbose. Maybe I find a judgment I would not utter now. At that point I am tempted to go back and rewrite the section or the book to represent my current belief or skill level.

Then a voice advises, “Just let it be.” That book was a perfect statement of my consciousness at the time. It has helped many people. It works. New readers show up who are a match for the ideas and consciousness the book represents. It’s all perfect.

Life lesson: I can’t go back and redo the past. I can’t go back and make all the beds I left unmade. They don’t even exist anymore. But I can reframe the past to appreciate the gifts it has brought me and others, and I can live fully in the moment, bringing to it the best consciousness I can.

Exercise:

Are you tempted to go back and revise your earlier writing?
Are you tempted to go back and try to fix the errors of your past?
If so, can you just let your writing and past be, trust that what you wrote or what happened was perfect for the moment, and move on?

Outlines, Notes, and Flashes of Insight

I don’t outline my books before I write them. I start by writing one idea I am passionate about. As I go deeper into that idea, a stream of related ideas comes to me. They will later each become a section or chapter.

The metaphysical principle, “Whatever you give your attention to, you get more of,” is absolutely true. The more I think about the subject matter of a book, the more it reveals itself to me like a small flower bud opens and releases many petals and a lovely aroma. In retrospect, I realize that the book was already written in the mind of God, or the Akashic Record, or the ethers. My job is to tap into it and bring it to Earth.

There is a writing model that illustrates this process. Most people would outline a book with a list of ideas, 1, 2, 3, down the line. It’s a sequential process, one idea leading to the next. There is a more intuitive model I prefer. Draw a large circle and write the book title or its main theme in the center. Then, using stream of consciousness, notice all the ideas that intuitively come to you related to the central theme. As those ideas occur to you, write them in small circles around the periphery of the large circle, like satellites orbiting the Earth. Launch each satellite as a spinoff of the one big idea. The satellite ideas are all related to each other by way of the central idea. Later you can go back and flesh out each of the satellite ideas, which may become sections or chapters unto themselves.

Don’t think too hard about what the ultimate content of your book will be. Straining will stifle your creativity. Just start with your favorite idea, which will lead to the next, and the next. All of my novels started with one scene I was excited about. I had no idea where the story would go. Then the plot revealed itself to me as if I was watching a movie.

If you love structure and you prefer to outline your entire book in advance, either in linear form or satellite form, please do. Different authors have different ways they prefer to let their work come to life. Use the method you are most at peace with.

Often ideas come to me while I am not writing. I may be showering, doing yoga, swimming, hiking, or playing with my dogs. I may be reading a book or watching a movie, and a phrase I read or hear gets my attention. Spirit is constantly streaming something to me. If I am relaxed and open, I receive it. If I have no paper, phone, or computer available, I make a mental note. Sometimes I remember, and sometimes I forget. It’s better to write an idea when it comes.

When I am finished writing before I go to sleep, I put the computer aside and set out to sleep. But there is often a spillover from my writing process, and more ideas continue to stream to me while I am lying in bed. I find this quite annoying, since I have shut down the computer and I would like to get to sleep. I begrudgingly open the computer and record the idea. Sometimes this process goes on for two or three rounds before I finish. Sometimes I think, “I can’t be bothered writing this. I will just make a mental note to remember, and I’ll write it in the morning.” Usually I don’t remember, and I wish I had written the idea down when it came.

Nikola Tesla reported that the ideas for his inventions crashed into his brain in a flash. He could see the whole invention and the interaction of all its parts, already done. Then he went to his laboratory and fleshed out the vision he received. I understand exactly how that happened. Spirit is equally willing and happy to splash great ideas into your brain in momentous flashes.

Exercise:

Do you prefer to outline your material beforehand, or are you okay with free flow?
If you choose to outline, what method do you prefer?
Do you have a method for recording ideas that come to you outside of your writing time?
If not, how might you capture ideas that come to you spontaneously?

Which Project to Pursue?

If you have lots of ideas for different projects, which one should you work on first? Here are two options, either or both of which will work:

1. Write the names of all the projects on a piece of paper. Then slowly run your hand over each name and notice if you feel more energy related to one or a few of the projects than the others. Alternatively, just look at each name and notice which one(s) generate the most excitement when you think of them. This process calls you to consult your intuition more than your intellect. If you are honest about where your passion lives, you have your answer.

2. Start several projects simultaneously and see which one gathers the most momentum. Which one are you spending the most time thinking about and working on? Which one is calling most strongly to be birthed? The most passionate project will reveal itself.

Even if you start on a project you choose not to continue with, you can always go back and choose another one. Destiny has its ways.

Don’t use your lack of clarity about which project to pursue as an excuse to not write. Take a step in any direction, and that step will reveal itself as the right one or direct you to another.

Exercise:

Scan your list of ideas. Which one(s) speak to you the most?
What other ideas come to you about how you can keep your writing moving forward on a daily or regular basis?

Affirm:

I use regular writing practices that keep me inspired
and on track with my work.

My writing and my days are more effective

for my commitment to stay with my inspired writing.

Lesson 15.Printable