Be a Writing Machine by M.L. Ronn

Author:M.L. Ronn [Ronn, M.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Author Level Up LLC

Strategy #2: Meditate

Enough has been written about the medical and spiritual benefits of meditation that I won't summarize them here.

But I will talk about how you can use meditation as a writer.

Meditation is the perfect way to ask yourself questions. It's also the perfect way for you to learn how to listen to yourself.

Meditation is easy too. Find a quiet room, a comfortable chair, set a timer, sit down, and close your eyes.

Once, at a teenage boy’s camp, my counselor facilitated a devilish exercise to show us just how disconnected we were from nature.

He told us to close our eyes and be silent for one minute.

At the end of the minute, we were told to raise our hands.

I'll never forget what happened next. I closed my eyes and became aware of the train wreck going on inside my head. I could not shut my mind off. The inside of my head was filled with sights, sounds, and smells. I was itchy and I fought the urge to scratch my face. I remembered things that I forgot to pack. I tried to count to 60, but I lost focus.

I ended up raising my hand, not knowing how much time had passed.

I opened my eyes, and other boys were grinning at me with their hands up. Others still had their eyes closed, mental anguish clearly visible on their faces.

My counselor stood there with a stopwatch and a smirk on his face, waiting for everyone to raise their hands.

About 2 minutes later, everyone finished.

He then told us that the first person raised their hand after 30 seconds, and the last person raised their hand at 2 minutes.

I raised mine somewhere around 40 seconds…

That was eye-opening for me.

You see, we don't always have a true concept of time. With technology and our fast-paced lives, we live quickly, which disconnects us with time and, most importantly, our inner selves.

Meditation helps you reconnect with yourself. It's one of the few things that you can do every day and see incredible mental, spiritual, and health improvements quickly.

I'm not advocating that you meditate for hours at a time.

I meditate for five minutes every morning, just before I write.

I sit in my recliner in my office, set a timer on my phone, and close my eyes.

I ask myself, “Where was I in my work-in-progress?” (Or, I ask myself one of the tough questions in the last strategy.)

The most recent scene in my story flashes in my mind’s eye.

Then I sit still and listen to my subconscious answer. Sometimes it will show me what's next. Other times it will be silent and I can focus on clearing my mind of any clutter.

In any case, the goal is to go with the flow.

When my timer goes off, I'm at complete peace. I can usually start writing quickly after my meditation sessions.

Daily meditation is good for your mind. It's a lubricant that keeps your subconscious operating without friction.

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