How Do I Want to Write?

As I’ve been writing and not writing I’ve been asking myself the question,

How do I want to write and not write?

When I’m not writing I’m experiencing what I will be writing about tomorrow. Not writing time is valuable.

At times I will admit to criticizing my not writing while saying to myself,

you should be writing. You say you are a writer so get on with it!

First of all, to write well, I need to optimize my health. I’m 63-years-old and am aware of changes that could effect my well-being if I don’t pay attention.

Eating well and developing in ways that bring balance to my life can only help me become a more playful and creative writer. I’m not only a writer but a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, volunteer, mentor, and multi-disciplinary artist who loves playing outdoors. When I’m not writing and hiking or talking with a friend I’m making choices about how I will spend my time — I’m optimizing my health which can only make me a better writer when I sit down with pen and paper in hand.

What is the writing process that fits my nature? that makes me happy?

I like to write and imagine I am sharing stories with my readers in my play studio, outdoors enjoying a picnic, or in a live performance. I like to be relaxed when I write and not pondering every word before I spill it out onto the page.

I write in different locations. At my desk, standing, sitting on a log at the beach, perched overlooking a vista, in my car, or in my journal while sipping wine or drinking coffee from my favorite mug that is labeled, Writer.

What stops me from writing?

I’ve found that social media can eat up time when I could be writing or reading. Just yesterday I made the decision to take a year’s sabbatical from Facebook and some other social media sites in an effort to create more time for what I love.

Saying to myself — just 20 minutes

and

— you’re practicing — helps move me past the inertia that I experience when I write and feel like no one is listening or cares about what I write.

Imagine

You are in a bookstore that you know intimately surrounded by an enthusiatic audience who have come to hear you read from your latest book.

You open to a page in your book that is marked for the occasion and you begin to share your crafted words…