When Slowing Down Makes You a Better Writer
All it took was living more in the present
I wasn’t paying attention to my life and everything about it crumbled.
Then I stopped writing. Thinking I could fix my life somehow.
For so long, I was so worried about a future that it never came to be. Blinded by the promise of a better life, achievements, or success, I couldn’t stop to notice my whole life crumbling around me.
It’s been now three months.
Since then, I’ve been trying to find inner peace, seek forgiveness, and live a day at a time as if it were the last one.
I pull myself back to the present whenever I can.
I don’t know about you, but my mind has this nasty habit of dragging me to the past or a future that probably would never happen.
I have been through one of the darkest moments in my life and yet it’s painful to relive all these painful memories, I don’t let them consume me.
I learned to let them go and live more in the present.
It’s an ever-trying experience, it’s a skill. One you must practice every day.
When I mean being present, it means being really present - even those darker ones.
It demands all of us. It’s not nothing, it may be the hardest thing in the world.
But embracing the present changed the way I see being a writer.
Because being a writer means we notice the world around us.
Being a writer means having a life, and going out there and experiencing it.
Slow down, even when you rush to the end of the month, to the end of your destination, or the end of your working day - take a moment, pause.
For once tune into the present.
What do you see outside of your window? What do you see when you walk out of the door? Notice everything around you. Everything.
Re-learn what is like to be in the present.
Being present means relishing every opportunity you have to slow down and notice things.
A writer gets his ideas when he’s aware of his surroundings — when he learns to slow down and notice things.
And noticing means awareness
Aware of what’s around you — what you see in front of you.
What you see when walking outside, when you stop to look at a tree moving at the sound of the wind, or watching the birds dancing in the sky.
This awareness can be practiced by slowing down. When we are aware, we feel alive, connected, joyful, peaceful, and present at any given moment.
Next time you walk outside, pause for a moment and notice. Find something that catches your eye and take a moment to enjoy its beauty.
Slow down. Let whatever emotion take control of you. Let it sink in. Be with it. Take the extra moment or two to feel that joy, peace, presence, sensation, and excitement longer than you usually would.
It’s not about trying to record with your phone and share it on social media.
It’s about being in the moment.
Your work as a writer is to slow down and look at something a moment longer before you speed up for the rest of your life.
When everything goes so fast, you’ll discover that it feels good to ease off, to be thoughtful and intentional.
So take your time — no screens, no phone. Just take the time and look and be still.
This change of pace is hard at first. Your mind wanders off — it’s tedious and irritating. You feel the urge to reach for something distracting.
Eventually, the discomfort diminishes, giving way to the true benefit of slowness.
Noticing the details is a skill.
And you develop it by slowing down, embracing tedium, and accepting that things take time.
You’ll see time illuminates the details.
Details give way to connections and connections are the basis of creativity, a cornerstone of any creative work.
To be a creative person in general, you must take your time.
You must allow yourself to decelerate to the speed your work demands.
The only thing that’s real is the present. It’s where you and I are right now.
So connect with yourself, and learn to be more in the present.
To be a great writer, embrace slowness. Seek stillness.
The world moves fast, but your work demands a different pace.
Let go of the rush. Pause.
Observe your thoughts but do nothing about it.
Focus on what’s in front of you. Notice.
And write.
See you on the next one!
Creativity takes time, it can't be rushed - yes, I so agree with this 🙌