Write for Life by Julia Cameron

Author:Julia Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

HANDWRITING

It’s nightfall. Darkness is descending. A crescent moon peers over the mountains. I move my hand across the page. Thoughts follow thoughts. That is the magic of writing by hand: each stroke of the pen moves me forward. I’m writing this book by hand, essay after essay. My book The Listening Path was written by hand, as was my book Seeking Wisdom. I am comfortable handwriting, and I hope that ease shows on the page.

The moon tonight is a sly crescent. It is the moon of new beginnings. I begin this essay speaking of the moon, hoping, like the moon, this essay will wax full. I want this essay to be particularly persuasive. I believe firmly in writing by hand, and I want that belief to be contagious. Yes, I know, writing is faster by computer, but I don’t think fast is what we’re after. What all of us seek is depth and authenticity. We want to transcribe our thoughts exactly. Writing by hand makes that possible. Let us say the issue is how we feel about X. Typing, we might say, “I feel okay about that.” Writing by hand, we have time to query, “What do I mean by ‘okay’?” We may discover we feel fine—or not so fine. “Okay” is vague, and our actual feelings are particular. Pen to page, we grow specific. We dare to write precisely what we feel. Handwriting keeps pace with our thoughts. We are not rushing ahead, nor do we linger behind. There is a momentum to the hand. We write what’s next, and the hand often tells us. Our projects unfurl themselves. Pen in hand, we are in touch with our higher selves, that intuitive spark that guides us. We are led carefully and well. There is no error in our path.

Morning Pages train us to follow our train of thought. Morning Pages trace our unspooling consciousness. We follow thought to thought, and discover that is a portable skill. Morning Pages prepare us to work on our projects. We become nimble, moving adroitly thought to thought. We listen with an inner ear that guides us. We write what’s next without second-guessing ourselves. We don’t take mental cigarette breaks. Many of us find that by slowing down, we actually speed up. Our handwritten pages mount up.

There is a cohesion to drafts written by hand. Clarity of thought is an often unexpected dividend. It is as though, writing by hand, we cannot lie. Whereas on the computer, we could whiz past an evasion, writing by hand, we are led to greater honesty. Heightened awareness of ourself as author leads to more truthful writing. This honesty connects us to our readers. They can sense the authenticity of our work. Our vulnerability is inviting.

Manhattan-based psychiatrist Jeannette Aycock swears by handwriting for a greater accuracy in her notes about her clients. “I’ve been practicing psychiatry thirty-six years now, and all of them handwritten. Writing by hand, I put in details that typing, I might skim past.” Aycock puts a hand to her heart.

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