First we write, then we perfect

I wish I had known a long time ago that it is common for writers to fear a blank page. Flannery O'Connor is quoted as saying, "I suppose half of writing is overcoming the revulsion you feel when you sit down to it." And another of my favorite quotes concerning writing comes from John Steinbeck: "When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day's work is all I can permit myself to contemplate."

If you want to write, don't let anything hold you back--especially not the fear that it won't be good enough. Let go of perfectionism and plop words onto a page. You can always clean them up later, but if they're not there to start with, there's nothing to clean up.

Many creative types have been helped by Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. It's time for me to read it again and refresh my memory of her helpful, freeing suggestions. I love the subtitle to the second chapter, "Recovering a Sense of Identity: Going Sane."

I hope this week will be a week of "going sane" for you, as you open yourself to your own brand of creativity. Perhaps this is the week you begin your list of "Things I've Done In Life That I Don't Want Forgotten." This could be the beginning of a time of deep reflection.

Happy creating--
Anita Lee
"Your Life, Your Story"-- writing memoirs that bring the past to life