I love the writing process... sometimes. I recently wrote a nonfiction book, a book about living with FIERCE Integrity. The book is in two parts, the first part tells about my own personal journey into living with FIERCE Integrity and how the whole concept came about. The second part is the extended version of the course - living with FIERCE Integrity in thought, word and deed. I submitted the manuscript to a publishing house contest on September 27th. October 19th (FRIDAY) I find out if it makes it into round two.
This morning, I am truly enjoying a luxurious ‘working’ morning. Chephren is at preschool and I am sitting in the local coffee shop with a hot cup of tea in hand, clicking and clacking away on my laptop.
If you are an avid MareBare blog follower (all three of you!), you may have noticed somewhat of a decreased presence on the blog over the past few months. This is partly due to the book... after all, I set out to write 50,000 in less than 6 weeks (!), but it is also because my writing process has completely changed.
If you were to sit down with me and ask me about writing the book, I would probably laugh and first respond with ‘actually, the book wrote me’. What I mean is, I really feel that I was only a channel or a vessel for the content that came forward. The best way that I know how to describe it is to say that I needed to ‘get out of the way’ in order for that book to be written. I have heard other writers and artists describe the creative process in a similar way. Your best work comes forward when you step into the ‘flow’.
Which brings me to the true topic of this blog post. Lately I have been trying to write on the blog and keep it current but every time I sit down, I have been experiencing writer’s block! Remembering the experience of writing the book, this morning I have decided to simply sit down and write on whatever is present, whatever comes forward. I am taking my own advice and simply getting out of the way.
The Universe has been kind enough to honor this intention and when I sat down to write this post, this quote popped up on my screen:
If someone prays for courage - do you think God gives them courage or the opportunity to be courageous?
If someone prays for patience - do you think God gives them patience or the opportunity to be patient?
I had written it down a week or so ago after watching the movie Evan Almighty with Chephren (it is a super cute family show if you haven’t seen it, in which Steve Carrell plays ‘Noah’ - as in Noah’s Ark and Morgan Freeman plays God).
The quote above is said by Morgan Freeman and it struck a chord so I wrote it down.
What I love about ‘co-creating' with the Universe is the synchronicities that are so often associated. For instance, the above quote is so very relevant today. After submitting that book a few weeks ago, I was delighted to not have to think about it anymore. This morning, for whatever reason, I woke up with FIERCE Integrity on the brain... counting sleeps until Friday morning. Learning patience.
And yet I know not to wish my life away. I have four whole days of living to do before the fate of the book is learned. The funny thing is, I know that it will be exactly what it needs to be. I am totally at peace with any outcome. And yet I am so very curious...
What are you learning today?
Shanti, Om
MareBare
Congratulations! Whether it gets published or not, writing a book is a mammoth accomplishment! CatMan and a few friends of his wrote a book about cave exploration several years ago. They thought the job was done once the publisher accepted it. Ha! It had only begun!
ReplyDeleteThe editing process was intense, and since CatMan was chosen to give the book "one voice" it was an all encompassing job for him. Every night he would read the parts he had edited to me... my job (being only a novice caver at best) was to tell him when I was confused or when something didn't make sense to normal folk.
The funny part is that I don't think I ever read the completed book! I heard it all over and over and over again so many times that I couldn't bear to sit down and read it again... especially since I was sure I'd still have the "editor's voice" going in my head. Maybe I'll crack it open since it's been about 10 years now.
Anyhow, I really hope it gets published, and even if it doesn't you can still explore self publication. I totally know what you mean about the book finding you - I used to feel that way about writing songs back when I was still living in the songwriting world. Pretty cool when it all just starts to flow through you.