My procrastinations are never
what they appear to be about. After writing blog posts for two blogs, emails,
client work, FaceBook posts, and journaling daily I felt all written out.
Uninspired. The thought of more writing was as attractive as walking barefoot
on hot tarmac.

My wise friend Kathy, who is also
a writer, sent me a note that said, “Write as if no one is watching.” At 10pm
last night I still hadn’t written. She and I had agreed to commit to a daily
writing practice, whatever that looked like for each of us. Just knowing
someone else is out there who loves you and is cheering you on, or struggling
to find the exact words, helps me want to write. Was it the act of writing that
I was putting off or the outcome? Doubt that it wouldn’t be ‘good enough’?  So if no one is watching me write and no one will read the words I write I was free to create…whatever!


PenAt 10:09pm I grabbed a notebook
and decided to write in bed, no computer and keyboard this time. I set the
timer for thirty minutes and asked my Muse to be with me and send me whatever
character needed to be heard. Instantly there she was! A character I’ve dabbled
with here and there, she’s an adolescent girl, I don’t know her name yet, she’s
a loner, really smart and an odd duck. She can hear animal’s thoughts in her
mind. In three pages I told the story of her first encounter, when she was
barely two, with hearing the family dog’s thoughts and responding to him. In
her words recalling this event, “In my naivety I assumed everyone heard them.
Didn’t they?” 

The writing is actually quite
good but what was even more exciting was how much fun I had! I was in the zone
for forty five minutes and lost in creative juices, joyful even when I was
searching for the ideal adjective or metaphor. I found my groove and realized
I’d only misplaced my creative joy—no wonder if I was expecting whatever I
wrote to not be good enough. The possibility I have created is a writing
practice where I am free to express whatever comes through me; a character’s
joy, sorrow, frustration— all of it. The intention is to simply write…and see
what happens. I can’t wait to get back to my story tonight! Thanks Kath!!

How do you inspire yourself to
create? What holds you back or frees you up? Creative minds wanna know. ;-)