Simply Write Tip #2 – Meditation

Now, before you stop reading and make a decision that I am completely weird, please just hear me out. Yes, I am weird, in a sweet kind of way. I don’t mind admitting it. But, I also like meditation, and know what a difference it has made to my writing.

About ten years ago I did my teaching qualification. I knew that I wanted to help people so thought that it might come in handy at some point.

The week after I completed that qualification, I was enrolled on a meditation teacher training course too. I’m not sure if my bank manager thanked me for paying for both of those courses simultaneously. But they felt right to me, so I tried not to think about how much money I had just used from my bank account in order to pay for them.

The theme of always trying to find peace has been a long-standing one throughout my life. I always felt the need for peace, and so despite the opinion of others, I went off to my residential meditation teacher training course. I had no idea what it involved, other than if I completed it, and passed all my assessments, I would be qualified to teach meditation as well. So, I would know more about meditation, and I could also run classes to help others to de-stress, and reap the calming rewards of it. It was therefore a win-win situation.

The thing about meditation is that you have to come at it with a completely open mind. If you don’t, then it won’t work for you. or it won’t benefit your writing. Therefore it would be a waste of everyone’s time, and you, as a writer, won’t benefit at all, which would be a real shame.

Several writers I have spoken to about meditation only tried it once or twice, and then moaned that it didn’t do anything for them. Well, as a qualified meditation teacher, who practices every day, I can tell you that realistically you will either be able to do it to some degree almost immediately, or you will need upwards of 5-6 sessions just to be able to concentrate on your breathing well enough. But, what I can also tell you, is that if you keep meditating on a regular basis, then one day it will all just seem to fit. You will suddenly be able to move into the right zone almost effortlessly, and that is when the magic happens!

The great thing about meditation, is that if I only have a short time in which to write, I can calm my mind quickly through meditating. Meditation can also bring ideas and words to the surface unexpectedly. So, in effect, it is like having double the time in which to write, because some of it is already done or planned during your meditation. Even if you already thought you had it all figured out, time spent meditating will clear out any of the dead wood from your thoughts, and show you exactly what path you should be travelling on. It’s a great tool for writers.

Things that can come up during a meditation session are:

• Previously unseen information about a character, plot etc.
• New ideas
• A direction for a change of pace for your story, script etc.
• Revival of previous written work
• Completely new writing ideas
• Reinforcing of ideas that you were previously unsure of
• Showing you what won’t work about your writing / story / script
• New found confidence
• New found abilities
• And much, much more

Meditation is great for writers who want the simple life because it brings hidden things up to the surface without you needing to dig around for them. It can therefore save you both time and energy.

I have to say, that meditation isn’t suitable for those with low blood pressure, or serious mental health issues. But, for everyone else it should be fine. You should always consult a doctor if you are at all concerned if it is right for you.

I do teach meditation for writers online, so if you are interested then please either email me – melaniemolewriter@gmail.com, or look on my News page for details of upcoming classes or workshops.

 

 

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