Freely and recklessly make new mistakes

I recently blogged about the stuck place I landed in recently while working on a creative writing project. In writing, as with life in general, it's troubling to find that you are suddenly spinning your wheels or have become lost in a dense fog.

When I found myself unable to forge ahead, I went into logic mode. Surely the problem must be some kind of technical error-- a wrong turn, a writing craft error or deficiency-- now I needed only to diagnose it properly, apply a cure, and I could be on my merry way. I started reading reference books about story construction, scene vs summary, creating and rendering characters. I armed myself with tools and knowledge, and guess what? My anxiety about the project worsened. My spinning tires sank deeper into the mud.

I realized that whatever technical problems may be responsible for slowing my progress, my anxiety itself-- that feeling of urgency that I was messing it up, doing it wrong, would not be able to figure out how to get it on track again-- had become the biggest problem of all. I came across this quote by Brenda Ueland this morning, which drove the point home for me:

"...you must freely and recklessly make new mistakes-- in writing or in life-- and do not fret about them but pass on and write more."

Freely and recklessly make new mistakes. I want to write this phrase in calligraphy and send it to everyone in my literary and artist coaching world.

We can't write freely if we're trying too hard, analyzing too much, setting the bar too high. Yes, writing is work, but it is play, too, and the play aspect is important, not just for keeping it enjoyable, but for breathing life into what goes on the page.

My goal today is to dive into my writing-in-progress with curiosity, spontaneity, and abandon.