Developing a mindful writing practice

Writing with awareness

Hello friends,

As we set off on building the Slow Writing Movement together, I wanted to take a step back to the beginning and talk about what mindful writing looks like for me.

What do I mean when I talk about a mindful writing practice and writing with awareness? 

For me, writing mindfully means many different things. It's about:

• connecting more authentically to my writing so that what appears on the page has purpose, depth and meaning;

• being fully present in the act of writing and immersing myself in it for however long I have in that writing session;

• just writing for writing's sake with no goals other than developing my craft and doing the best that I can for the characters and story, for each sentence and idea;

• writing stories that come from a place of love and embrace the wonder and mystery of this human experience while also exploring the challenging times I find myself living in; and

• honouring the amazingness of our imaginations and enjoying the incredible things we can do with them.

What would a mindful writing practice look like to you? Do let me know in the comments.

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Connecting authentically to our writing so that it has purpose, meaning and depth 

Out of all of the elements of mindful writing I listed above, this is the one that has come to mean the most to me. For many years, I happily wrote lots of flash fictions and short stories from prompts and once I thought they were polished enough for the journal or competition I had in mind for them, I sent them out. 

I wrote two novels with the specific goal of getting them published, and even though I achieved that goal and I am proud of those two novels, I can now see that I could have connected more authentically to them both during the writing process and taken more time to really deliver on the ideas I had for them. But I was in a hurry to get myself established and get those novels out there.  

After a while I started to realise that I needed more for, and from, my writing. We all want readers for our stories, but now that I write more mindfully it has become more important to me that my stories have purpose, meaning and depth both for me while I am writing them, and for the readers they reach. That I really take the time to honour the story and what I set out to do with it.  

Which means my process has changed. I write more slowly and I think about what I am going to write before I start now, usually for quite a long time. When I write from prompts, which happens less often as most of my stories used to come from prompts but now probably only a quarter do, I spend time digging into what has appeared on the page to find the meaning. Often there isn’t one so I just see that writing as an exercise to flex and strengthen my writing muscles. As every time we write, we get better at writing. No writing is ever wasted.

I now leave stories to sit for longer before editing them and, most of the time, my stories now go through many more drafts. This means that I submit and get published a lot less often than before. And I am fine with that.  

What purpose, meaning and depth looks like for me in my craft and the stories I create will most likely be different for you. Our practice is personal and for you to create a mindful writing life you will need to connect authentically to what these things mean for you.  

In the craft book, Write Here and Now: The Writing Teacher's Guide to Finding the Zen in Their Pen, Dan Tricarico says:

"Where are you going?

Such a simple question. Yet in our creative endeavors, there can be so many different, confusing and even contradictory answers that it's sometimes difficult to find our direction."

For me finding that direction and connecting authentically to my writing is about exploring the things that are on my mind and in my life, the things that I want to know more about and that are important to me.  

What are they for you? Share them in the comments below.

A story I had published in October 2022 explores grief and loss, as these have been ever present in my life since 2016, with sixteen people in my life having passed away since then. It also touches on ideas about other dimensions and what might be hidden from our three dimensional minds and eyes. Topics I am fascinated by and explore through ideas that both science and spirituality have about the nature of reality. 

This flash fiction story went through six different drafts over a period of 13 months before I was sure I had connected authentically to it and found its purpose, and given it meaning and depth. 

Doing the best for characters, stories, ideas and sentences

This is closely tied into connecting authentically to my writing and much of the work I do there helps me to do the best I can for the characters, stories and ideas, that I am exploring. Taking the time to think deeply about where I am going so that I can tell the story the best way possible. So that I can discover what the story means to me and, more importantly, to the protagonist I am telling it through.

I focus on the nuts and bolts of writing - the words and sentences. The flow and rhythm, how it looks on the page. This doesn't mean I want to write overly showy or flowery prose but that I want my description writing to sing and feel fresh, while also working hard to develop the theme and atmosphere of the story and expressing the unique voice of my characters.

Doing the best for my sentences also means taking the time to notice things properly so that I can capture them on the page. Every day I go for several walks in nature and I no longer spend the time entirely lost in thoughts but instead breathe in deeply of everything I see, smell, and hear. I touch trees and leaves. I stop and watch birds and insects, and most times make a new dog or cat friend too!

Which is not to say that I don’t also spend time thinking. I plan stories, and posts, the things I need to do. But I am mindful of my thoughts and no longer ponder on the difficult things from my past that can’t be changed, nor my future that can’t be predicted.

I also watch and listen to people when I am out and about. Their mannerisms, walks, speech patterns. How they interact with others. How people behave when alone. The clothes they wear and how they style their hair. Not in a weird stalker way! I’m just alert and aware and taking things in rather than being lost in my own head.

Developing a mindful writing practice 

Just like a mindful living practice, a mindful writing practice has to be worked at. Mindfulness is an approach to living centred in the moment. It encourages a more balanced approach to life where we respond thoughtfully to what arises rather than react impulsively. 

For me, mindfully writing is based on the same principles. We need to respond thoughtfully to our ideas, stories and characters to do them justice. 

This doesn't mean that every time we sit down to write we have to be creating amazingly polished drafts. We will still write scrappy first drafts that will need a lot of refining but, for me, mindfully writing means we take the time once we have written those first drafts to find the true substance and depth in them that will make our writing practice, and the stories that come out of it, more meaningful and emotionally resonant. 

When writing we have to be fully present in the world we are creating and let go of any goals and ideals for our "writing career" and instead focus on authentically connecting to the characters and doing the best we can for them. 

Every time you sit down to write, take a moment to bring yourself fully to the moment and to the story. Before you start writing close your eyes, take deep breaths and focus on them as they go in and out of your body. Once you feel connected to your breath, let your mind go to the story you are working on, open your eyes and write!

With love,

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Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to a mindful writing practice and want to join the Slow Writing Movement and connect more deeply to your writing.

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