ALEX NOBLE - WRITING JOURNAL-2015

Alex Noble - Writing Secrets: What to Do When Your Muse Leaves Town

 

 

Alex Noble

 

 You want to write. You intend to write. You almost wrote something yesterday, but… You know you have worlds to say. But all you can do is stare at the blank page. 

Stare, stare, stare. You feel stuck, empty, useless, unworthy, ridiculous, a pretender in the world of ideas. You feel shame, guilt, despair.

Nothing comes.  If feels as though your Muse has left town for Mozambique, with no forwarding address and her cell phone number is no longer in service. What to do?  There is a name for it, and your condition is called “Writer’s Block.”

The good news is that there is a cure.

Life Lessons: What Have Your Learned? What Can You Share?

 

 

Alex Noble:  It is a useful exercise, from time to time, to write out short, one sentence "life lessons" - things you have learned that you wish to pass along to others.

We do not suffer without gaining wisdom, we do not fail without becoming tougher, we do not succeed without realizing how much better we can be, we do not pass through fire without learning that we can, after all, survive. 

From our trials, as well as our achievements, we can harvest treasures of insight and transformation.

What life lessons do you have to share? 

See if you can write 10, 40 or even 50 0f these. 

Use this writing practice to create something of value you can share with your friends, family, and even your larger network.

Why not give the gift of your experience?

Have fun!  Write Now!

Once you have written as many life lessons as you can (and use short sentences), take a look at the provocative list below, from Regina Brett.

And if you need some inspiration, it is OK to take a look at hers anytime.  But more fun if you do your own first! GO!

 

BOOKS: The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart

 

Alex Noble: If part of your life is breaking down, you can be sure that other parts of your life are breaking through. Nothing dies, but that something is being born.  There is no crisis without an equivalent opportunity.  The genius that resides in each of us has the wisdom, strength and capacity to turn sorrow into joy, and find a way out of even the most devastating disasters. At times when we are overwhelmed with the magnitude of our problems, it is helpful to have a loving Guardian Angel Guide to shine light on our path, and even take our hand to lead us forward into peace and salvation.  I can think of no better guide for this journey from despair to hope and a new life than Daphne Rose Kingma.  Daphne's latest book, The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart, is full of loving counsel and practical tools: Things you can DO to work through the chaos you are facing. Using this book in conjunction with your journal practice can produce astonishing results.

Certainly, there is nothing like a life-crisis to send us into our journals, and if it feels as though your own life is falling apart, use Daphne's book as a resource for unlocking your feelings and emotions and charting your journey into stability, sanity and light.

Be sure to watch the videos linked at the end of the information, below, about this book.

TIPS: One Word At a Time

 

 

 

Alex Noble:  Even to sit quietly in front of an open journal, with pen or pencil in hand, and experience that sacred space of stillness and listening, can open new worlds in consciousness if you are fully present. . This is one of the reasons I love Haiku poetry, where we capture a moment of current reality and document it in focused awareness.  A journal entry might be just one word, or two. The point is to connect with your Muse, your Inner Thinker and Writer.  Just one word, if it is the right word, can shift your perception and your life.  So know that this time of consecrated stillness is not empty. It holds your whole life, all your dreams, all your experience, all your innate magic.  Start small. One word a day. And then see where that word leads you. Surprise yourself! 

If you are writing a story, start with just a few sentences that summarize your plot and answer the classic question: "Who wants to do what and why can't they?" Then, write a full paragraph. Then, half a page. Then, a one page summary.  Annie Lamott tells this story:

I also remember a story that I know I’ve told elsewhere but that over and over helps me to get a grip: thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on bird written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

 

 

 

Closing Cycles - Paolo Coelho

A useful reflection at the beginning of a new year is to become aware of what cycles in your life are closing, what is now outgrown, what has served its purpose and is no longer needed. It is healing to be conscious of endings, as well as new beginnings, and honor the endings with gratitude so that one may move on, liberated and lighter in spirit, leaving the past behind where it belongs.

What cycles are closing in your life?  What work might you need to do to finalize these closures? Your journal is a good place to take notes on this subject.  Endings are excellent material for poems. Be honest!  GO!

You may find it helpful to read Paolo Coelho's excellent essay below on this subject, or at least an essay, attributed to him, which he has adopted and edited.

I am also including one of my own poems, The Clean Break, which was originally written as a journal entry.

Are You Ready to Blog?

Hola! Potential Bloggers!

If you do not already have a blog, are you ready to create a blog for your journey through 2012, with excerpts from your journal and other writing you may do?

There are some basic books you must have on your shelf if you are serious about your Blogging Practice.  There is a wealth of material, references, and sources available to help you get a sense of the scale and power of this new digital universe.  Search "Blog" and "Blogging" on Amazon and see which of the many available books speaks to you.  I recommend the latest edition of the DUMMIES book on blogging, just because this series breaks everything down into simple, easy to understand steps.

What is most exciting of all is your potential role in this vast new frontier for positive social change.  Of course, because I view both Blogging and Writing Practice as essentially spiritual disciplines, I recommend that you immediately establish a positive vision, motivating purpose and realistic goals for your work. But right now, surf, sail or fly on over to your nearest bookstore and get ready to explore the ever-expanding frontiers of the Blogosphere! cyber-camp. 

Write Now!

What will be the theme of your blog?  What title will it have?  What is your audience?  How will you make others aware of your blog?  Which blogging service will you use?  (I recommend Typepad, but there are many other good ones.)

 

What to Do When Your Muse Leaves Town - Alex Noble

You want to write. You intend to write. You almost wrote something yesterday, but… You know you have worlds to say. But all you can do is stare at the blank page.  Stare, stare, stare. You feel stuck, empty, useless, unworthy, ridiculous, a pretender in the world of ideas. You feel shame, guilt, despair.  Nothing comes.  If feels as though your Muse has left town for Mozambique, with no forwarding address and her cell phone number is no longer in service. What to do?  There is a name for it, and your condition is called “Writer’s Block.” The good news is that there is a cure. The cure takes willingness, awareness, serious martial-arts level self-discipline, and a heartfelt desire to give the gift of your words to humanity, to God, and even, if you can think this big, to the whole Universe.

Planet: One - Alex Noble

   

"There are many who believe that it was the picture of Earth, seen from the Moon, that launched the global environmental movement and awakened a universal change in perception. This historic shift related to our collective responsibility to take care of this fragile, unique spinning planet that Bucky Fuller called Spaceship Earth. When that beautiful blue, green and white photograph entered the hearts and minds of global humanity, a new era was born. Whenever I see that picture, it is a powerful reminder of where I live,  and that the “third rock from the sun” is deserving of my best efforts, not only for all living beings who share this space with me, but also for its oceans, rivers, forests, and atmosphere.