Messy desks and messy minds

CHASING DOWN THE MUSE

I stand, I reach, I yearn, I bellow, and finally I live. (from

Susan Mrosek)

Writer’s block. I’ve never really understood it. Quite the

opposite seems to occur for me. Ideas line up like eager children

wanting to be the chosen one:

“Pick me.”

“No, pick me!”

“It’s my turn.”

“I was first.”

Arms waving about, these ideas press in on me, wanting prime

attention. Which one should I choose? Which has the most merit, is

the most interesting, stirs up the greatest feeling of “heart”?

A part of me begs for an assigned writing to avoid the clamor of

these random idea-children.

Each decision is a rejection of the other choices. I feel like the

teacher who worries about damaging the children’s self-esteem. And,

besides, I like all the ideas. So you can see how writer’s block just

isn’t something about which I worry too much. It’s just these

decisions!

I seem to have a mind messy with a plethora of things about which

to write or create or do or say. The mind is a bit like my desk,

which looks very disorganized but is really just full.

There is a quote that a friend sent me for which I do not have the

proper crediting. The piece states that a messy desk doesn’t

necessarily show disorganization. Rather, it is a sign of complexity.

Those who deal with many unsolved ideas at once cannot sort and file

the papers on their desk because they haven’t yet sorted and filed

the ideas in their head. Is that what all this mess is about?

Complexity? Maybe it’s just a mess. At any rate, it does keep me from

being blocked about writing.

In my chase after the Muse, I have encountered many wonderful

resources that may be of help to some of you who are suffering from

writer’s block. I keep them on hand because you just never know. Just

a few of them: Judy Reeve’s book “A Writer’s Book of Days” is a book

of daily assignments -- short and easy -- to stimulate the writer.

“The Observation Deck” is a deck of over-sized cards that offer

practical advice from great writers that can renew creativity.

Stephen King has written an eminently readable book -- “On

Writing.” Part autobiography, part instruction, this book is a must

for any writer. A wonderful book for the beginning journal-writer and

all the rest of us is Nina Burghild Holzer’s “A Walk Between Heaven

and Earth.” This book is rich in the depth of its honesty. “The Right

to Write” by Julia Cameron follows much of the format of her earlier

books -- “The Artist’s Way” and “Vein of Gold” -- making it clear

that writing, like walking, is one of the natural aspects of living a

life.

When asked what he thought one needed to become a writer, Barry

Lopez said that one must read voraciously, find out what it is that

you truly believe, and get away from the things that are familiar to

you. I agree. Read everything and anything. Some of the best ideas

have been sparked by something as obtuse as the Weekly World News and

its tales of bizarre happenings. Want ads, comic books, poetry,

scientific journals, and magazines of all kinds offer possibilities.

While you’re reading or talking with others or just thinking,

begin to formulate what you really believe. Then test it. Ask “even

if ... ?” See if the belief stands up. Keep testing. Take yourself

away from the safe, the comfortable and the familiar.

Experience diversity whenever and wherever you can. Then you can

return to the familiar and write of that with an even clearer view --

one with more depth and perspective. Awareness is key. Awareness to

our surroundings, to the people we see and hear. An attention to the

details that are all around us enlivens and enriches your writing.

Find out what the names of things are. Have conversations. Ask

questions. Increase the sheer volume of your knowledge. Mess up your

mind with information. The ideas will come.

I guess it’s pretty obvious that I believe in messy desks and

messy minds. Let’s just call me “complex.” It’s all part of living

creatively and pushing out the edges to include more. And if all else

fails in the list of tools, there’s always what Calvin tells his

friend Hobbes is the universal tool of inspiration -- “last-minute

panic.”

* CHERRIL DOTY is a creative living coach, writer, and artist who

lives and works in Laguna Beach. She can be contacted by e-mail at

[email protected] or by phone at (949) 251-3883.