"You're little will alone cant do anything"
My creative writing class has sparked the urge to write more frequently. I mean of course I will have to write more now that I'm taking a class, but I have a new desire to practice on my own time. Professor Inguanta raised a valid and obvious point: If you dont write regularly, how can you expect to write anything? Just like if you don't run daily, how can you expect to run a mile? Duh. But isn't that something we all forget from time to time?
We are reading a lovely book called "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. She raises many valid points about writing. My favorite was the idea that everytime you sit down to write, there is no security or assurance that you will be able to write something as great as your last piece. And often, you stare at a blank screen wondering how the hell you were able to do it in the first place. I feel like that everytime and I think this is the reason why I often dont write. It's because I'm really afraid.
Another thing she commented on was how sometimes a fancy journal can hinder our creativity because it can pressure us into trying to hard to be creative. Because it is a nice journal, we feel obligated to fill it with great work. But part of the writing process is allowing yourself to write junk and write when you dont feel like it. Quite often, the best things happen when you least expect it.
And most importantly, Goldbert talks about how it took her a very long time to write about the death of her father. She wrote about it relentlessly, determined to get those words right somehow. And then one day, it just flowed out of her, fitting perfectly to how she felt it and how it was destined to be said. She quoted Katagiri Roshi, who said:
"Your little will can't do anything. It takes Great Determination. Great Determination doesnt just mean you are making an effort. It means the whole universe is behind you and with you - the birds, trees, sky, moon, and ten directions." Then she said "Suddenly, after much composting, you are in alignment with the stars or the moment or the dining-room chandalier above your head, and you body opens and speaks." I hope to one day be able to write the story of my father and I, which is such a difficult one to tell and I had given up on because I felt that I might never tell it right.
We are reading a lovely book called "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. She raises many valid points about writing. My favorite was the idea that everytime you sit down to write, there is no security or assurance that you will be able to write something as great as your last piece. And often, you stare at a blank screen wondering how the hell you were able to do it in the first place. I feel like that everytime and I think this is the reason why I often dont write. It's because I'm really afraid.
Another thing she commented on was how sometimes a fancy journal can hinder our creativity because it can pressure us into trying to hard to be creative. Because it is a nice journal, we feel obligated to fill it with great work. But part of the writing process is allowing yourself to write junk and write when you dont feel like it. Quite often, the best things happen when you least expect it.
And most importantly, Goldbert talks about how it took her a very long time to write about the death of her father. She wrote about it relentlessly, determined to get those words right somehow. And then one day, it just flowed out of her, fitting perfectly to how she felt it and how it was destined to be said. She quoted Katagiri Roshi, who said:
"Your little will can't do anything. It takes Great Determination. Great Determination doesnt just mean you are making an effort. It means the whole universe is behind you and with you - the birds, trees, sky, moon, and ten directions." Then she said "Suddenly, after much composting, you are in alignment with the stars or the moment or the dining-room chandalier above your head, and you body opens and speaks." I hope to one day be able to write the story of my father and I, which is such a difficult one to tell and I had given up on because I felt that I might never tell it right.