[Writing 101] What I do when I am not writing… that cultivates my writing anyway

Writing everyday without stopping or taking the time to breathe certainly is the surest way to run out of inspiration. Remember this article ? I mentioned a book explaining that writers (creative people in general) go through an endless cycle of two phases : reception and creation.

When I am not writing, I am in a reception phase and I do every thing I can to boost my next writing session, or at least make it satisfying.

 

Keep moving

The mind often follows the body, that means that if I sit at my desk all day, my brain will have a tendency to slumber. So I keep moving, a least 10k steps a day. When a traject is less than 2km away, I walk.

 

Do a repetitive task

When my brain buggers on a narrative problem, I turn to a repetitive task like dish washing. the repetitive task sends my mind into an hypnotic state in which it forsakes control. Doors are the open to welcome any solution my current writing project might have. If I don’t feel like washing the dishes, there are a lot of solutions available : folding the laundry, sorting the clothes, dusting the furniture. A family home offers many opportunities for brainless tasks.

 

Fill my tank of experiences and emotions

That’s right. I go outside, escape in the mountain, try to meet friends, try new things, read new author. If I don’t have the opportunity to do all these things, I try to meet friends and / or ask a ton of questions to people I meet. You wouldn’t believe the stories I hear this way.

I feel my heart and mind with colors, sensations, emotions that will brew until I’ll be able to use them in a text.

 

Even if writing is one of the most important thing in my life, balance remains the key to a long lasting writing experience. If I feel too tired, I never hesitate to walk away for a couple of days and cut off the internet.