The Art of Writing...

Not that I'm any expert or anything... and I've discovered since that, just like anything in life, what works for me might not have worked for others.

One of my favourite authors have said that to help one excel in writing, you must also read a lot; expose yourself to as many writing styles as possible; draw inspiration from the content of the millions of books out there.

They say, also, that when you get stuck, when the inspiration fails you, you should do something else; take a long walk; jog, if that's what takes your fancy; watch a movie; do anything that would empty and refresh your mind.

Some days, I can totally relate to that, and have no problem whatsoever in following these seemingly hundreds-year-old advice. Other days, like now, when I'm super-swamped at work sometimes taking an hour lunch break was a luxury I almost can't afford, when the demands of family life, albeit a small one, requires most of my attention, when I feel like every minute, no, every second, is so precious and can't be wasted, I struggle. Reading means less time in writing my own stories; it is sometimes a cruel reminder as to how good these authors are, and how I sometimes feel like I would never measure up. Watching a movie, with the lights dimmed if not completely off, required me using my eyes and fat chance of using my hands (unless I do want to go blind from trying to write in the dark, which I don't).

But today, I rediscovered certain things; things that may not necessarily get the inspirations flowing, but relax the mind nonetheless.

For the first time in about two weeks, I cooked dinner tonight. And I felt... calm; peaceful; I even enjoyed it. For that whole forty minutes, I thought about nothing but how to make the perfect dinner; I didn't chastise myself for not thinking about Michael & Lizzy.

I also rediscovered the joy of listening to music just for the sake of it. Music is, and has always been, a powerful oxygen for my writing; I could listen to music, and before long, I was absorbed into another world, my hands couldn't stop writing until I decided to finish that particular section, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Lately, I hadn't been able to do that, and I blamed (yes, irrational, I know) the music I've been listening.

So... I guess... here's to more cooking and other mind-numbing activities that would help me to just... relax and smell the roses.