Do something kind for yourself--and become a better writer in the process.
It’s this simple: if you want to flourish as a writer, you need to flourish as a human being.
And, as writers, we really are lucky.
There are so many writing practices that are good for your writing--that can also help you thrive.
The reverse is also true:
Showing up at the page to write for self-care can have a real impact on the quality of your writing over time. Especially if you’re aware of that possibility.
Today we’ll talk about ONE habit that I think none of us should be passing up in these times:
Reliving and celebrating the flavors and fragrances of our lives.
It’s the kind of writing habit that
can change the way you go about your day.
takes 10 minutes or less—and is fun!
will help you stay resilient—so you can be more creative in general.
will help you develop the skill of writing with all 5 senses—a habit that you can use in everything from poetry, to freelancing, to blogging…
But first, things first.
Let’s talk about why, as humans and creatives, this is such an important habit—now more than ever.
Why capturing and savoring your moments is an essential act right now.
In a recent article from the New York Times, The Opposite of Languishing is Flourishing, writer Dani Blum asks the question,
..after a year of trauma, isolation and grief, how long will it take before life finally — finally — feels good?
Blum goes on, of course, to detail suggestions from experts at renowned universities.
But should it really surprise us that suggestion number two on the list is...savoring?
Savoring is about appreciating an event or activity in the moment, sharing tiny victories and noticing the good things around you.
Writing is the perfect tool to help you savor your life—with all your senses.
How to start savoring your moments in your journal.
If you stick around here long enough, you’ll hear me say it again: writing something ‘just for yourself’ is not to be underestimated.
It lets you breathe. It lets you write without the energy-sapping pressure of writing something ‘good.’
And it frees you from the pressure to publish that some of us might feel when we write on social media or blogs.
In your journal, you are allowed to show up again and again and be messy and authentic. There is nothing better for your writing—or your life.
Pen and paper afford you a unique space to…
make a habit of stopping to live one sensory moment a day,
bring that wisdom home to yourself and your writing by capturing those moments in your journal each day,
activate all five of your senses around the experience.
These are simple but profound steps you can take towards that place where life feels delicious. Again.
And if you’re writing for others, how beautiful it is to take them along for the ride. Sweep them up with all their senses, take them someplace new.
And maybe remind them what it feels like to be alive again too.
Savoring and capturing moments is a simple practice that keeps your brain and your pen sharp.
You probably know this truth already--without needing to be told by an expert or research:
The words flow more with practice.
And practice happens more when we love what we’re doing.
As writers, creatives…humans, this is our chance to accomplish two fundamental goals at once:
keep ourselves strong by remembering what it is to LIVE.
keep our writing beautiful, so we’re ready for any creative projects that come our way.
Ready to savor something, make life more delicious...AND sharpen your writing skills?
The simplest way to practice capturing moments and savoring them is to:
Be on the lookout every day for ONE moment. (It can be a simple one--and maybe it’s better that way!)
Take that one minute and live it. If you notice that there is a field behind your bus stop full of tossing grass and birdsong? Stop and listen and smell...and taste. If you peel an orange and the flavor releases into the air and stays on your fingertips? It’s enough.
Later, when it’s quiet, maybe in the evening before bed, write it down. In single words, in sentences, in doodles. The only challenge: try to touch on every single sense: sight, sound, taste, smell, touch.
This is simple. And it’s enough.
If you are tired, overwhelmed…or not quite flourishing, this is the place to start.
Let it keep your writing fresh while you bring yourself back to a more creative state of mind.
And then, when you’re ready…
Here’s how you can bring the 5 senses into your writing projects.
Here are a few simple ways to play with this if you feel ready to bring the senses into a finished piece of writing.
For your own personal satisfaction...or because you’re writing something with an important reader in mind.
These suggestions start with writing that is mostly for you...and go towards writing that is for an audience. Even if you think you’re not writing ‘creatively.’ You might be surprised.
You might surprise yourself.
#1 Write a one-line poem about a moment you savored in the past week.
Start with a sentence from one of your captured moments.
Play with breaking the lines until it looks like a poem. It doesn’t have to rhyme--unless you want it to.
Here’s an example of one of my own:
When you stop
the car, the roar of the wind dies,
and there is nothing left
but the sweet
music of the crickets
and cicadas and the taste of
rain on the rising spring
grass.
These are easy, satisfying…and you can share them if you like.
#2 Add the 5 senses to some of your own writing and bring your reader along for the ride.
If you’ve got a story to tell...make sure your reader is right there with you by adding in the taste of tea or the smell of the envelope in the mailbox. You don’t need a paragraph of description. Just a few really sensual and specific words scattered throughout the experience.
#3 Bring yourself, your five senses, and your creativity to your non-fiction writing too.
Thinking this is just for fiction? I challenge you to try it somewhere else.
In your newsletter.
In your blog post.
On your sales page.
A letter to someone you care about.
Connecting to the senses, creativity, and creative writing is not just for poems and stories.
If you are a non-fiction writer and you can learn that lesson, your writing will thank you.
Your reader will thank you too.
Where might you bring a little savoring and senses into your writing...or your life?
I’d love to hear about all of your adventures. In writing, in life.
Tell us about it in the comments below.
You could even write us a one-line poem!
Or link back to something you’ve written.