Writing Meditation: Find Your Energy
Writing Meditation | ENERGY
I've been teaching at the Attic nearly thirty years now and in MFA programs longer than that. All this time, whenever I reconnect with my own teachers, I come away enlightened and with wind in my sails. I believe that, in an AI- and bot-saturated world, it is good to remember this: the deepest learning happens person to person. I expect you might be someone who believes that, too. Beginning today, I'll be writing directly to you — on the first of every month — with a brief meditation of no more than a hundred words to offer, I hope, inspiration for your writing ahead. I'm rooting for you. Contact me anytime. ~ DB
_____
This week, consider the energy it takes to write with meaning.
Writers often say that they know they're writing with meaning when it feels like time disappears as they work. The writing feels addictive. They feel energetic. Discipline comes easily.
When I feel this energy, I often just think "What's next?" over and over. And keep at it until the feeling lifts. Then, I stop. I rest. And come at the writing afresh next time.
“A word after a word after a word is power,” says Margaret Atwood. Pace yourself. Keep at it. A little writing will add up to something meaningful along the way.
Stay in touch,
David Biespiel is the founder of the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters. A poet, novelist, critic, memoirist, and painter, he is a contributor to The New Republic, Slate, and The New Yorker, and the author more than a dozen books, including the forthcoming collection, Beautiful Is the World: New and Selected Poems, 1996-2026.
_____
What's new at the Attic?
Since 1999, over 10,000 students have enrolled in workshops at the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters. Many have succeeded with book and magazine publications, awards, and more. The Attic is a haven for writers where you’ll find inspirational teachers, community, fellowship, and support.
Come on up! You belong here.