Letting Go

Sometimes we pay too much attention to rules. In an effort to be the best writers we can be, we stuff our heads with so many dos and don'ts that, when we actually sit down to write, we are frozen. Creativity is a finicky companion. It likes to come out and play and it likes to be given free rein. In return, it can bless us with riches we never dreamed of. But if it feels too stifled, too corralled in by too many rules, it can retreat and disappear altogether. If this happens to you, you'll need to tease it out of hiding again. This means letting go for awhile of all the forms and structures and conventions and just freewriting as if there is no purpose, as if there is no reader or editor, as if there is no other reason than to just write. If you allow this much room, your creativity will emerge again, cautiously. To keep it from retreating, you'll need to continue feeding it with freeplay, letting it bend at its own will, until it grows and strengthens and becomes resilient enough to withstand the onslaught of convention. You'll need to make regular play dates with your creativity to keep it strong. Insert into your work schedule ample time to play-write. This can be in the form of a journal, a writing sketchbook, an idea log, or something else you come up with. Whatever it is, do it regularly; and after your creative mind has had time to follow its whimsies, then put it back to the hard work of conforming to rules and structure and convention. All work and no play, as they say, makes for a dull person. The same holds true for writing. Letting go of the rules periodically will strengthen your creative powers and boost your productivity - a handsome payoff for a little bit of fun!