A friend went to yoga class the other day and lay on her back the whole time, absorbing the energy of the group and doing the poses in her head. She felt great afterwards.
This is the advanced practice.
You know your body well enough and you have enough self-confidence that you can just lie there if that’s what your body needs.
You also know that going to class and lying on your back the whole time doing the poses in your head is not a waste of time and money.
Would this work for your writing practice?
In A Meeting With Your Writing, I ask you to write a list of what your project needs to move forward.
Most of the time, I suspect your list includes things like:
- edit the middle section
- a conclusion
- a clearly identifiable argument
- more evidence (go back to the interview transcripts)
- check the references
- proofreading
But what do you do if what comes up when I ask that question is:
“I have no idea but it definitely needs something.”
or
“For me to be brave enough to let someone else read it.”
The advanced practice…
Even though A Meeting With Your Writing is a virtual meeting, participants have told me that the fact that it is a group has an impact.
Maybe it’s possible to come to the Meeting, absorb the energy of the group, and do the writing in your head.
What if the following were legitimate things to do as part of your writing practice:
- sit in a comfy chair, drink tea, and think about your project
- go for a long walk
- lie on your back doing the writing in your head
- journal about all your fears around being seen
Not every week. Maybe not even often. But every once in a while, that might be exactly what you need. And it won’t be a waste of time.
Knowing that that’s what you need, and having the self-confidence to do it, knowing it won’t be a waste of time, is the advanced practice.
Related Posts:
When your writing project needs to be left alone
Edited April 18, 2016. Re-edited June 2025. Added to the Spotlight On: The Power of 15 Minutes in August 2025.
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