Daily Nourishment for April 18: Part of It Remains Mysterious
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
Why is writing so hard?
“The solitariness of it, the elusiveness of it. If forced, we could generate words, sentences, paragraphs, but it would be meaningless. So, the thing that makes it a story, the words that etch out a character that the reader can see and feel and hear … there’s plenty of tricks to get there. You can create the conditions for that element to come forward, and do what you can to push yourself into that state that makes it happen … but part of it remains mysterious.”
- Megan Abbott, Shondaland, Found online in 2024.
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale. Then listen to a song that helps you feel less alone. (Here's one of my favorites!)
Prompt.
Read the Megan Abbott quote above one or two more times.
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and journal or take notes using the following questions as prompts:
What are your thoughts on Abbott’s quote? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
What conditions usually help you do the writing you want to do?
What conditions usually keep you from doing the writing you want to do?
When did you last write words on paper or a screen for at least 15 minutes? What conditions led to that writing session?
What are three things you can do that usually help you write? (Here are three of mine: 1. Read Essays One by Lydia Davis 2. Read a poem or two or three 3. Go to a museum.) If you don’t know the answer to this question, I encourage you to experiment!
Use your notes to begin writing a new essay, story, poem, or letter if you like.
Want More?
Read “9 Writers on Why Writing Is So Hard” which was originally published at shondaland.com but is no longer there BUT I found it using Wayback Machine because sometimes technology is a good thing.
SDW Four-Hour Retreats Are Back: Saturday, May 2, Zoom, Pay what you can.
Become an SDW Insider and reserve your copy of Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life AND receive access to the All of Life Is the Writing Life Deep Dive online course—a preorder perk that explores how the mantra “All of life is the writing life” shows up in the Spiritual Direction for Writers book.
NEW: SDW Book Notes—A place for book preorder links, updates, resources, notes, and musings
Group Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls
Flourish Anyway with Rhythms, Rituals, & Retreats
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.