Writing secret recipe
The ultimate list of writing ingredients
We, the writers, are like chefs.
Our ideas, our knowledge, our talent, our skills, our experiences, our journeys, our feelings are our brigade.
But for the starring Michelin dishes you deserve for your writing you need just three ingredients.
Devotion, consistency, sweat.
Devotion: is coming out from passion. When you discover your ONE thing, the stone upon you are building up your “house” that is to say: writing. When you discover you are committed to writing. You know it since your childhood, because you are clever at storytelling to your little friends; you discover it in your adolescence when you need just one word an the whole story came out. You discover it like J.K. Rowling did: single mother, unemployed, 12 editor-rejected writer.
Just to be clear on what devotion is: the courage supported by heart to be what your inner soul is telling you. The courage to stop pretending to yourself that you are anything other that you are.
The courage to accept rejection and failure as a part of the journey. Specially devotion helps you to understand the meaning of failing and rejecting and proves you that you are on the right way. And give you a hand to stay tuned on yourself.
Devotion is the key to understand that: “One of the hardest things in life to learn is which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.”
Consistency: accepted your passion and being devoted to it is not enough. You have to prove it. How? Throughout consistency. A tiny and taught word whatever kind of write you are. Because this word evokes failure, attempts, struggles to find your own way, your source to make your life writing. Because this word implies you have to stay motivated and you have to find a way out. The counter face of consistency medal is, of course, your proper own black hole. Days or weeks sucked into them. That’s it. And you know? You have just to stay inside them. This is another meaning for acceptance your devotion and passion. To be persistent you have to be motivated and focused. And if not? Two possible ways: you have to find you impulse to stay motivate outside you. A strong reason why keep going on: your daughter when she will see your name on a book, your signature on an article; the simply fact you are able to close circles; you are not undone, you to be an example and get remembered for helping someone. Or, let yourself being inspired from other people, like a boat trough a storm searching for the lighthouse. Or let yourself be curious to experiment. Being persistent needs motion.
Sweat: think about the position when you write. Whatever your writing setting is, whatever your intentions are, you are forced to an uncomfortable position: you are seated and you are supposed to stay seated for a long time, at least two, three hours a day, depending on your writing biorhythm, depending on your deadline, depending on your mood.
You have to stay seated every day and concentrated.
“Most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day. These are practical, physical lessons. How much can I push myself? How much rest is appropriate — and how much is too much? How far can I take something and still keep it decent and consistent? When does it become narrow-minded and inflexible? How much should I be aware of the world outside, and how much should I focus on my inner world? To what extent should I be confident in my abilities, and when should I start doubting myself? I know that if I hadn’t become a long-distance runner when I became a novelist, my work would have been vastly different. How different? Hard to say. But something would definitely have been different” Haruki Murakami, What I talk about when I talk about running.
Sweat means fatigue. Channelling energy, being trained to do that. So you have to sleep well, to eat well. But the world you live in is not the unicorns ones. And to get a new healthy habit you need 66 days…..
Just start. Start doing it. NOW. You can bear sweat…and , in the end, you will have much more excuses, if you needed, for buying your favourite body perfumes!
Are you ready?
Which are your personal writing ingredients?
How do you boost the weakest one?
