Keep Practicing

Hello friends.

I’m thinking about practice of all types, the way I do.

On Twitter—and elsewhere—people are always coming up with “rules” for how to write and worse, what constitutes “real” or “worthwhile” writing.

Writer Shiv Ramdas finally piped up and said: "There is no type of writing that makes you worse at writing."

(So I made one of my art memes to share. Of course.)

Because for me, that is true of any skill or craft. Showing up regularly is pretty much guaranteed to make you better. There are tricks and short cuts and things to learn about how to improve our practice, sure, but mostly we just need to keep showing up to practice. Also, I find that showing up on a regular basis takes the pressure off. It’s just another thing I do. No big deal.

I meditate daily. I do some form of simple exercise daily. I write every day, no matter how crappy I feel or what else is going on. Sometimes—if my chronic illness is acting up, or since my bike crash, if my TBI is bad—I write one sentence. Other days, it’s 500 words. Or 2500. Or more. Doesn’t matter.

While the 2500 (or more) days feel better because more words means my brain is sparking and that makes me happy and engaged, it’s the showing up for practice that makes the difference to me, long term.

It’s also what gets the books written. They aren’t precious and difficult things to accomplish. They’re just stories, unspooling as I go.

How about you? What are you practicing? What supports your practice? What gets in the way?

blessings - Thorn