First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.
[Octavia Butler]
One writing habit that has stuck with me and brings me back to the page day after day is notebooking. Notebooking has helped me set and keep an intentional goal of writing every day. It helps me to slow down and process my thoughts, because I'm writing in longhand; putting pen to paper.
I will admit that some days the habit looks like writing the date and one sentence, because that is ALL I can muster.
Other days, the habit looks like pages and pages of thoughts, worries, joys, prayers, poems, blog post ideas, and whatever else my muse inspires.
There was a time when I thought of notebooking as "just notebooking". I had deemed it less valuable than some other types of writing, particularly poetry and blogging.
In my maturity, I have come to appreciate notebooking and the time and space I make for it. Notebooking has become a habit that adds significant value to my writing life in general and to my self-care efforts.
Writing can be meditative. I can imagine starting the day with it gives comfort , and can unravel hidden thought patterns, setting the day forward with inward wisdom.
ReplyDeleteDonnetta, I feel the same about notebooking. I almost feel lost if I miss a day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the many benefits of note booking. What I also find important is the "putting pen to paper." There is some added bonus in actually writing, rather than typing.
ReplyDeleteI love notebooking! Your thoughts about this daily writing strike a familiar chord with me - "pages and pages of thoughts, worries, joys, prayers, poems,..." These are small treasures, I think. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteWriting daily has become an daily exercise for me, and the benefits are huge! Each time I sit down and put pen to paper, I am doing something that matters to me, and I think that's why it's important and beneficial.
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