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

Courage, Compassion, Chaos, and Curiosity

“C” stands for courage, compassion, chaos, and curiosity.

Courage

Creative writing requires that you examine your life. It asks that you tell the truth. These are brave pursuits in a world where most people prefer conformity to consciousness.

Writing brings you closer to your deepest self. It asks you to see yourself in all your fullness—good and bad, dark and light, talented and rife with shortcomings. The quest for self-knowledge is a courageous quest. Commend yourself every time you sit down to write. Remind yourself that writing is an act of courage.

Compassion

Compassion is the opposite of criticism. Compassion understands, accepts, hopes, nurtures, believes, and supports. Compassion allows you to write freely. Compassion encourages you to avoid rigid rules and embrace flexible guidelines. Compassion shows you the value of slow progress.

You can begin to develop compassion in these simple ways: Let yourself write about anything at all and credit yourself for every bit of writing you do. Write about what’s going on in your life right now. Write about your sorrows and dreams. Write without expectation. Writing in this way will enhance your self-understanding and increase your creative flow.

Chaos and Curiosity

Chaos is where every created thing begins. The seeds of art, like all seeds of life, are conceived and planted in darkness, and out of darkness they grow. We can’t always see where we’re going in a particular written work, just as we can’t always know the direction of our writing lives.

Chaos is a vital part of the creative process, especially when new impulses and ideas are beginning to germinate. If you can let yourself sit with the uncertainty, doubt, and confusion that come with the start of a creative project, the chaos will pass, and the innate order within the chaos will soon become clear.

Let your curiosity guide you. Curiosity can help you take risks in your writing and navigate through the confusion of new beginnings. Remember that you’re in charge. You decide when to step into a creative exploration and how deep to go.

Write about each of these creative qualities—courage, compassion, chaos, curiosity. Ideas here.

See all the posts in this series.