How Writing "Rights" us…

I’ve just started another book… “The Right to Write – an Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life”, by Julia Cameron and this one is very important for me because I have found the personal value, benefit and beauty of putting on paper (i.e. journals, articles, blogs, etc.) for the mere expressing of what is inside of me and in which needs to come out in the various forms – usually in ways of going deeper than the surface of things, like: Venting - when I’m not seeing clearly due to something pressuring me or getting in the way of what I need to see/experience/understand; Brainstorming – when I need ideas; Meditation – writing to quite the multiple thoughts in my head (just for starters); which all feel to me like multiple forms of Prayer – purposed times I need to get more focused on the spiritual truths revealed within my heart/the God-space within.

So, I’m going to take this moment to share a few items that have inspired me thus far and that may do the same for you too, even for some of you who think that writing isn’t for you! Enjoy…

“Why should we write? …We should write because it is human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It makes it directly and specifically our own. We should write because human beings are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance.
We should write because writing brings us clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.
We should write, above all, because we are writers, whether we call ourselves that or not.” ~ back cover of The Right to Write, by Julia Cameron

Julia goes on to share passionately the bigger picture of writing, to make sure that understand foundationally that most of us have been taught in school the subject of writing (as what writers do) and she argues the point that maybe we may have been “taught wrong” or at least we’ve not been taught the wholeness of it – leaving out so much of what it really can be and is for us as humans. I can certainly relate, because English Lit and English in general weren’t my strongest subjects in High School or College, in fact I felt as if I weren’t very good at it at all… until I began to be invited into journaling by my coach Jim Spivey a few years ago and then through a friend’s recommended to read The Artist Way, also by Julia Cameron, as more of a place to share and find my inner thoughts, not in checking off boxes to fulfill my “assignment” to do so. I remember the first time I shared with Jim my journaling efforts and it felt just like I was reporting to the English teacher (my performance mode). That’s when he began to open my awareness through his own experience of writing. It went something like this (in my own words): “I don’t write for others, I write for myself. Writing keeps me present in being who I say I am and for the life-work that I have been called to by God”. Hum, and as I write that I realize that is now, not only his thoughts, but my mantra of sorts, at least I’m coming clearer on that while doing it for a few years now (sporadically and mostly kept personal). Now, I’m feeling in my heart that all that’s about to change – as I throw myself into the good and God experience of it. Boy, it sure does feel good!

Ok, here’s something that bubbled up just after reading on pg. 14, about the “if-I-had-time” lie that gets in the way of writing. She stated that “Sentences can happen in a moment. Enough stolen moments, enough stolen sentences, and a novel is born – without the luxury of time”, which came as a response to the many myths she exposes such as, “All that stands between me and the greatest American novel is a year off”, which leaves many with the thoughts of “I don’t have time to ‘really’ write do I?” Maybe we can…

“LOVING - is an invitation straight from the source of who we are and who’s we are – and when we are aware of the full implication of that, the struggle to do it is dissolved because we just let the source flow through us as we are being that which we already are.” ~ By little ole Dave, in a moment of writing

Well, that should do it for this entry… for now. I’m also practicing shorter writings – that some well be certainly glad about (hehe)!

I invite any of you to check out Jim’s blogs. For years, he has written on a daily basis, and I’m sure he’d say that the benefits for us (the readers) are just a bonus for what it has done for him. Thank you Jim for your persistence and courage! http://www.revolutionconsulting.com/blogger.htm, please email him at jspivey@revolutionconsulting.com to be added to his direct emails send outs!

~ Dave E. Anderson, writing for its own GOoD experience!
http://www.freedomlifeconsulting.com/

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