Last week in book writing class, management coach and HR consultant Carrie Beers shared how she found herself amidst intense turmoil at a time when she needed tranquility to foster her creative process. While having her home re-done, she’d temporarily “stored” boxes and piles everywhere, particularly in her office which seemed an uninviting place for inspired writing.
She remained determined to meet her commitments and work on a chapter of writing, but the environment seemed unlikely to support creative flow. And then…in the middle of all the chaos, she came upon her notes from my workshop “Writing in the Zone” which she had taken last year.
Carrie read through her notes and reconnected with her muse–that creative inner energy that seems all-knowing, wise and abundant. In the first workshop, her muse had seemed a bit more distant–vague–just a feeling and colors. But that subtle connection alone helped her to get in touch with the sense that it was finally time to begin writing her book.
In her office, surrounded by boxes, Carrie realized she needed to find a calmer space in her home to write. She retreated to her sun room and connected with her muse, a now familiar figure in white, “always waiting for me, never walking away or towards me.”
Her muse encouraged her to quiet her mind. She handed Carrie a sea shell
and encouraged her to listen and let the book unfold.
I’m always impressed with the clarity and simplicity with which our muses convey information. Somehow, when the answers come, we don’t just get the understanding in our minds. Our hearts and very souls begin to own the answers. They become real, tangible and, therefore, easy to take root in our lives and our writing.
If you’re local enough (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut), I hope you’ll join me for a half day of inspired writing, learning my 5-step system for inspired writing, connecting with your muse in new, powerful ways, and making headway on a project or embracing a new project–maybe one you don’t even know about yet.
I’ll be teaching writing in the zone at All That Matters in Wakefield, RI on Sunday, February 28 from 12;30-4. If you can’t make it, feel free to ask any questions about writing in the zone on this blog–or tell me your writing challenge and I’ll suggest a solution!
Lisa, wished I lived closer! Would love to attend your workshop.
I’ve been struggling with one of my chapters. It’s the most complex and controversial one in my whole book. I seem to go through spells. I’ll be totally inspired for several days and then it all dies and I have to ‘take a break.’
I have a question. My book is based on both my experiences as well as the research I’ve been doing. What do I do when I ‘know’ I’ve read something but can’t remember where? I think this has been one of my biggest hangups.
Thanks!
That’s a tricky one. You certainly want to give credit when you cite others. I would try to take notes as you read and put them in an easy to read format so you know where things come from in future. If information is public domain, you don’t have to credit others, but if it’s not, it’s important to reference sources. I guess, worst case, you could mention you’re not sure where you read something and have a disclaimer asking for people to fill in blanks, but you’d have to run that idea by an attorney, I think.
Thanks, Lisa. I do take notes but naturally, the thing I want to remember isn’t in my notes.
Oftentimes, it’s more that I want to validate in my own mind that what I’m writing is based on authority. I’m not necessarily looking for an actual quote. I guess I’ll just have to start trusting my instincts and hope I run across the information at a later time.
Thanks again. Hope you have a good attendance at your workshop.