Feb 24, 2023Liked by Bec Evans, Breakthroughs & Blocks
Yesterday I wrote a story for my grandson's 9th birthday. When I finished it I thought it was really good so I read it to someone. I then read it to my grandson. But at the close of the writing session I did a virtual happy dance because I was so excited it turned out well that may be my closing moment or it might be also to say aloud, tada. I also love your idea when you reframe by seeing all the positives of what you wrote and what turned out lovely I think I'll add that to my brief closing
Feb 24, 2023Liked by Bec Evans, Breakthroughs & Blocks
I am going to Gladstones Library later this year as a treat to myself to write and read. I'm so looking forward to it. I love the idea of a close down routine and definitely want to start implementing one myself. Thanks for the great content.
I am so thrilled you are going to Gladstone's Library - it is such a treat, a haven, a place designed to support and nourish your writing and reading life. Enjoy!
I think about endings a lot, the way we never acknowledge them, celebrate them or mourn them. Instead always pressing ahead with the next thing. I think today is the first “closing” moment I have had with my writing and it happened because I had to submit a test for a freelance role I’ve applied for. The subject was a little out of comfort zone and I worked on it for 6 hours on and off. I also have COVID and feel like utter crap! When I submitted the pieces I wondered if I had done enough to secure the role, whether I could have worked on it longer, harder. But this overriding sense of closure took charge and said “you did a great job, worked your ass off, accomplished as much as anyone could have with the knowledge that you had and now it’s time to forget about it.” I think that’s the closest I’ve come to giving myself credit and it reflecting on achievement rather than questioning myself. Cheers Bec, great read as always.
Annette - I love this so much. It sucks that you had covid and had to keep on doing hard things, so to find a moment of closure, of celebration, of recognition of your work, is really heartening to hear. Thank you for sharing.
I've been thinking about when we finish a writing session, we are often exhausted, cognitively drained and this makes us feel low. We often attribute that low feeling to the writing - it can't be good. Worse, it can then extend to us - I am no good. But it's just exhaustion! Writing tires us and that tiredness makes us feel low. Working while we are ill, stressed, juggling all the other things makes it even harder.
Finding something good about our writing, a moment of reflection of what has gone well can make all the difference. I hope you are feeling better.
Thanks Bec, I hadn’t thought of it that way (in terms of feeling low after writing) but on reflection, that really does resonate. When I write - and I’m writing good stuff rather than just those initial collection of thoughts - every sense is engaged. I have completely handed myself over to the moment and that’s where I feel like I am doing the thing I was meant to do, it’s where everything makes sense.
I suppose, as a creative, you are also in control of the narrative to some extent. When you put the pen or keyboard down, life returns to its multi faceted, sometimes problematic and humdrum state and those senses that had been fired up, are once again muted. I can only liken it to my first concert (I know, what have I been doing with my life?!) last year. We went to see Coldplay (who I just love) and I’ve never experienced two odd hours of such utter immersion. Except with the writing. I felt a little bereaved in the days after the show, which I really hadn’t expected.
I guess what I’m saying is, there aren’t many things that we experience in life capable of enthralling us so completely. And we aren’t taught how to cope when we aren’t in those moments. Does that make sense?!
Yesterday I wrote a story for my grandson's 9th birthday. When I finished it I thought it was really good so I read it to someone. I then read it to my grandson. But at the close of the writing session I did a virtual happy dance because I was so excited it turned out well that may be my closing moment or it might be also to say aloud, tada. I also love your idea when you reframe by seeing all the positives of what you wrote and what turned out lovely I think I'll add that to my brief closing
Thank you Laura - I love your writing close down ritual! Here's to more writing tadas and reframing how we feel about writing.
I am going to Gladstones Library later this year as a treat to myself to write and read. I'm so looking forward to it. I love the idea of a close down routine and definitely want to start implementing one myself. Thanks for the great content.
I am so thrilled you are going to Gladstone's Library - it is such a treat, a haven, a place designed to support and nourish your writing and reading life. Enjoy!
I think about endings a lot, the way we never acknowledge them, celebrate them or mourn them. Instead always pressing ahead with the next thing. I think today is the first “closing” moment I have had with my writing and it happened because I had to submit a test for a freelance role I’ve applied for. The subject was a little out of comfort zone and I worked on it for 6 hours on and off. I also have COVID and feel like utter crap! When I submitted the pieces I wondered if I had done enough to secure the role, whether I could have worked on it longer, harder. But this overriding sense of closure took charge and said “you did a great job, worked your ass off, accomplished as much as anyone could have with the knowledge that you had and now it’s time to forget about it.” I think that’s the closest I’ve come to giving myself credit and it reflecting on achievement rather than questioning myself. Cheers Bec, great read as always.
Annette - I love this so much. It sucks that you had covid and had to keep on doing hard things, so to find a moment of closure, of celebration, of recognition of your work, is really heartening to hear. Thank you for sharing.
I've been thinking about when we finish a writing session, we are often exhausted, cognitively drained and this makes us feel low. We often attribute that low feeling to the writing - it can't be good. Worse, it can then extend to us - I am no good. But it's just exhaustion! Writing tires us and that tiredness makes us feel low. Working while we are ill, stressed, juggling all the other things makes it even harder.
Finding something good about our writing, a moment of reflection of what has gone well can make all the difference. I hope you are feeling better.
Thanks Bec, I hadn’t thought of it that way (in terms of feeling low after writing) but on reflection, that really does resonate. When I write - and I’m writing good stuff rather than just those initial collection of thoughts - every sense is engaged. I have completely handed myself over to the moment and that’s where I feel like I am doing the thing I was meant to do, it’s where everything makes sense.
I suppose, as a creative, you are also in control of the narrative to some extent. When you put the pen or keyboard down, life returns to its multi faceted, sometimes problematic and humdrum state and those senses that had been fired up, are once again muted. I can only liken it to my first concert (I know, what have I been doing with my life?!) last year. We went to see Coldplay (who I just love) and I’ve never experienced two odd hours of such utter immersion. Except with the writing. I felt a little bereaved in the days after the show, which I really hadn’t expected.
I guess what I’m saying is, there aren’t many things that we experience in life capable of enthralling us so completely. And we aren’t taught how to cope when we aren’t in those moments. Does that make sense?!
You are basically describing a flow state!