Image Copyright Leszek Glasner, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com.

Attention, Acceptance, and Abundance

“A” Stands for attention, acceptance, and abundance.

Attention

When you pay attention to your urge to write, you begin to write more often and learn to accept whatever occurs to you in your writing. You also discover the abundance of material that is available to you at all times.

If you are just getting started with your writing practice, or coming back to it after a break, or trying to make room for it in your busy schedule, you may benefit from this simple advice: Pay attention to your urge to write.

Here are some easy ways to create a space in your life for writing—a small space in the beginning, one that will continue to grow:

Take a little time each week to reflect on a new creative quality or practice—what it means to you and how you see it manifesting in your life and in your writing. This kind of reflection may be all you need to generate new ideas. For instance, this week you could spend a little time writing about attention. Later this week I’ll post some prompts related to attention. But you don’t have to wait for my prompts. Just start writing from the word attention and see what happens.

Keep a small notebook and pen near you throughout the day; that’s a good way to pay attention to your urge to write. Having writing materials handy will encourage you to record the things you notice, to quickly jot down observations, fantasies, overheard conversations, and inner musings. The idea is to begin a habit of writing in intervals, when the urge strikes. You don’t need to do anything more with the notes you take. It’s enough to develop the habit, to learn that writing can occur even in brief recesses. When you have more time available to write, your notes can help you get started.

You could also answer some of the questions and writing suggestions that often appear at the end of my posts. Whenever you resonate with one of these prompts, take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts. If you find you have lots to say, make a writing date with yourself and spend a bit more time exploring the prompt and the material it’s bringing up in you. If you have time, post a comment on this site to let other site visitors and me know how the prompt worked for you. We can all learn by paying attention to what works for each other!

These practices require very little effort, yet they can powerfully focus your attention on writing and help you discover the things you want to say.

Acceptance

Every time you write, accept whatever comes. Let yourself be silly, inarticulate, nervous, unsure, or however else you feel at the moment. Let your words spill across the page in whatever way they want to, in any rhythm or style. Accept where you are right now in the writing process. Let yourself go freely into your writing. Let go of judgment, perfectionism, and even expectation. Stay in the present moment. There is no better state than this to write in.

Abundance

As you practice attention to and acceptance of your writing, you discover the unlimited supply of creative ideas, impulses, images, characters, and stories that live inside of you. Attention and acceptance lead directly to this rich inner source, and the more deeply you draw on it, the greater access you will have to its extravagant bounty.

See more ideas about developing your writing practice and keeping an idea notebook here.

See all the posts in this series.

What’s your favorite time of day to write?

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