I know for certain I’m a compulsive writer. There’s no denying it anymore. If I haven’t seen the blank page in 48 hours, I get withdrawal symptoms, I begin to feel bereft. And, I’m saying a blank page, not one that needs to be edited, a fresh new page, which needs something to be created from scratch.
The writer in me needs a new challenge every other day… For many it could be even sooner, especially for authors or daily bloggers.
So, I was trying to decode what writing does to me, why it’s become such an important tool for expression — sometimes for gaining clarity, sometimes for understanding life itself.
I realised that writing gives me the power to connect — the power to connect with thoughts I never knew existed in me, the power to connect with an audience I don’t know yet, and, most importantly, the power to connect with myself — my innermost deepest spaces.
Every time I write, I come closer to discovering what’s important to me, what invigorates me, and what I would like to share with you, dear reader… As these three elements merge, they create something that transcends the mundane, that transcends limitations, and that transcends any obstacles that come in the way of thought.
Writing becomes a meditative practice then, where the fluidity of thought is the only thing that is important in that moment. As you write, and set yourself free, your thoughts start taking a direction; they start forming a meaning of their own…and from that meaning, you understand your thoughts better.
Very often you may not even set out to write with something solid and clear in your mind… But there is a vague structure, there is a thought that forms the basic premise. The words too are not premeditated, they begin to flow naturally…
The journey is similar to a physical one — you may have reached your chosen destination, but you don’t know what you’re going to see there, you haven’t sampled the food yet, you have sipped its water, and you don’t know the people you’re going to meet.
Writing is more than a tool for expression; it is a journey of connections, where at every point you connect to something new internally or externally. All these connections finally find expression in your writing… The power to connect with yourself and with the world, is what makes writing so powerful.
Here I’m going to share with you three tools to give your writing a power of greater connectivity, both with yourself and with your reader.
- Figure out a writing regime
Yes, just like you exercise, the writing muscle too needs working on and needs you to set aside time for that writing. So understand what time of day works well for you, understand what frame of mind you need to be in before you write, and prepare yourself for it in advance. I generally write after a 40-minute meditation practice in the morning. I prefer not to look at social media or newspapers, so that they don’t influence me in any way.
- Don’t delete before you write
You may think a thought is foolish, it doesn’t connect, or it may offend someone. These points are valid, but don’t succumb to them till you have actually finished writing. First, pen down all your thoughts, then give them the structure they need, and tone down some phrases or reword them to make them read better. Finally, before publishing, delete bits that are totally redundant. But don’t disturb the flow at the start, surrender to it… You can make corrections to your writing later on.
3) Don’t just connect, empower your reader
The end of all writing is for it to be read. And the reason someone will read your writing is because they connect to it in some way. They may have a use for it, or they have gone through similar experiences, or your writing is so powerful that they may want a piece of your mind and craft… All these factors eventually empower your reader, as the reader has in some way benefited from reading your writing, giving him/her more power to think, work or simply understand the world in a different way.
Thus, as a writer, when you transcend your own limitations, and your own thought processes, you are essentially encouraging your readers to do the same. And each time you have done that, you have created ‘a small dent in the universe.’
More power to your pen… If you would like my inputs, feedback, or any other help with writing and editing, feel free to connect with me.
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