Snip and Tip Part One

A couple of years ago I started cutting up my favorite books on writing and then just life in general. I took my snips and glued them into a notebook compiling a life’s worth of advice. I have provided the sources where I remember them.  Unfortunately I don’t remember all of them. I will just let you know that none of these quotes/ snips belong to me. I did not think of any of them but found them in books and magazines written by very wise people. My only aim is to share that wisdom with you:

“In one study, where people were asked to pay voluntarily for the beverages they took from an office kitchen, people paid more honestly when the price list was accompanied by an image of two eyes than when it was accompanied  by a flower image”

• Attributed to “Better than Before” by Gretchen Rubin

“Learn rock climbing in one of the new rock walls at some sports center”

• Attributed to “Aha! 10 Years to Free Your Creative Spirit”  by Jordan Ayan

It’s funny because my best friend met another one of my friends rock climbing and they discovered a mutual love of poetry. Together they founded a poetry organization that has lasted fourteen years so far and which I am now a proud organizer of.

“Sit in silence for fifteen minutes each day, as my friend urged? I couldn’t bring myself to do that”

• Attributed to “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin.

I could never sit in silence for fifteen minutes. Maybe not even five. Headphones are in my ear the majority of the time. 

“Although scheduling time to worry sounds odd, it’s a proven strategy for reducing stress”

• Attributed to I’m so sorry, I forget. 

When I was diagnosed with my anxiety disorders as a kid, I was given a worry time. During that time, I was allowed to ruminate and check (an OCD compulsion) but only during that time. It actually does work because when an worry surfaced during the day it was easier to put it aside for later.

“Begin to think of order not as a jacket of “shoulds” (make the bed, wash the dishes, take out the garbage) but as a shape- the foundation- for the beautiful new life you are creating.

• Attributed to I’m so sorry, I forgot.

I always have a laundry list of should trailing around the back of my mind. I don’t mind to do lists that have to do with writing (and I have a lot of shoulds to do with writing including revising, editing and seeking publication) but I routinely neglect daily tasks especially making my bed  much to my mom’s chagrin. I do have to admit it looks much nicer when it’s made. 

“We have to suffer for our art, right?” my writer friend asked me. I believe that if we believe that, we surely will suffer.

• Attributed to I’m so sorry, I forgot (but it could be The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron)

There are not many days in my life that writing has caused me pain. Sometimes, when I was working on my memoir, it was too much for me to recall the trauma but now that I’m at a safe distance from it and worked through it in trauma therapy I am able to record every detail. While it wasn’t exactly pleasant it didn’t mean I suffered. I never suffered from writer’s block. I love writing. Even on slow days I love writing. Personal essays, short stories, poetry, novels, blog posts, journaling- I rejoice in every one of these genres. Why would anyone is suffering continue to do the very act that causes the suffering?

“Writing is a discipline. Writers must be as disciplined as they are creative if they’re going to accomplish their goals”

• Attributed to I’m so sorry, I forgot

I agree 100%. You might love, love, love writing but if you aren’t disciplined you aren’t going to even begin to accomplish your full potential as a writer. Take publication out of the equation. If you want to produce actual works of writing (even  if it’s just a completed composition notebook with your thoughts scribbled in them) you need to be disciplined about sitting down and taking the time to work on your projects. I won’t say writing is suffering (I don’t believe that) but I do believe writing is sacrifice. I missed out on pool games, video games and trips down to the student center when I was at college because I needed to dedicate time to my writing and keep it balanced along with my social life, academic life and extracurriculars. Oh yeah and sleep.

“We may not be able to work at our art on the level that we wish we could, but we can always do something” 

• Attributed to I’m so sorry, I forgot

This is very true. After a workout I wait for my dad at the gym. I go on Google docs and I will edit my poems. Or I will outline one of my stories. Or I will start brainstorming blog ideas. Or (If he’s taking a while) I can do all three. I don’t draft full stories on the phone but I can get a lot done as I wait.