Hint: I don’t have one… and that’s what I would like to change.
It’s difficult to embrace new habits when your world is shifting. I don’t function at my best when I feel unstable. I work best when I feel secure, so when things change (especially a lot at once) it can be difficult for me to find the mental space to create. Lately, things in my life have started on the path of a drastic change, just as I was starting to see the light from months of severe anxiety.
I started implementing the practice of writing daily and using short story prompts to facilitate that writing. That lasted for one week. Part of this current season of change means my time after work is no longer free time, so the hour I was spending after work to write a little has been allocated to something else and my attempt at rebuilding my writing routine collapsed.
The thing is, I have to write. Like we talked about last week, writers have to write. If my writing is going to get better, if I’m going to build more confidence in my writing, and if I’m going to start completing new projects, I have to practice my skill. So, in the midst of this semi-organized chaos, I need to be intentional about creating space to… well… create. That means writing, reading, and painting. And I know reading isn’t actually creating, but it influences my creativity.
In one of my college literature courses, we had to do a project at the end of the semester involving a book we’d read during the class. We could choose to write a paper or create a visual project, and I always chose the visual project because I am a visual person. I leaned into that part of myself recently when creating the shadow box for my short story that was published. I just love making things with my hands! But lately, I have not been intentionally making time to create things.
It’s easy to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, especially when you’ve got to figure in the whole eight hours of sleep thing. It seems like there should be an extra eight hours after taking away eight hours of sleep and eight hours of work, but we have to figure in the other things that take up time like actually falling asleep, waking up and getting ready for work, time for prayer and/or meditation (if that’s something you participate in), meals, commuting… there are so many things that require our time, and it can easily feel like there isn’t enough time to do all the things we want to do in a way that does not cause us to feel overwhelmed and depleted.
So, no, I do not have a writing process right now, but I’m going to be intentional about setting aside time, even if it’s just fifteen minutes, to try and create one. I’ll check in with you next week and let you know how it’s going.
Until next time…
Happy Writing!
♥
Christine Gabriélle 