When I took my first writing class, my teacher, Laura, suggested that we write on paper with a pen rather than type on our laptops.
(blink. blink. say what?). I think I had both claws gripping my Mac.
Laura said “something special” happens when you write on paper. But she didn’t elaborate.
So I tried it.
Ugh, it felt slow and laborious. I couldn’t get my hands to write my ideas down fast enough. And is that really how bad my writing looks now?! Things started to get really messy as I thought of new ideas. Then I started to make mind maps to connect one idea with the next. But I kept getting new ideas.
Ohhhhhh…
Somewhere, between the transfer of ideas from my brain to my hand, something special happened. I stopped editing the clutter in my brain. I stopped judging myself. And the writing just flowed.
In her book, “The Artist’s Way” Julia Cameron calls this exercise of freely writing 2-3 pages by hand “morning pages.” The magic happens when you let go of the need to self-edit and allow your thoughts to make their own connections.
Give it a try!
Question: what thoughts are waiting to be expressed?
