The First 2 Steps to Becoming a Great Writer

So many people ask me how I became a published author and writer. The simple answer is that I kept putting one word in front of another until I have around 85,000 words and a literary agent in New York. Of course, there is more to becoming a successful writer than placing one sentence in front of another sentence. And through my workshops, I have found that so many writers can’t start the process of writing because their minds are filled with clutter. 

Now that the New Year is upon us, it’s the perfect time to clean out those things that no longer serve you. And that includes your negative thoughts. Truth is, 2017 was a tough year for many, and because of the trauma, we unconsciously placed a lot of adverse thoughts in our heads. And those thoughts will remain in our heads unless we take the deliberate action of removing them. To truly write with passion and ease, your mind needs to be clear about your negative clutter. 

Dr. Wayne Dyer was one of the first leaders to share that we have around 60,000 thoughts a day. Most of those thoughts are just clutter, taking up valuable shelf space in our brains and emotional minds. 

Let’s do the math on that: 

• Each thought we have has around 10 words x 60,000 thoughts = 600,000 words.
• The bible has around 700,000 words[1]. War and Peace has 587,287 words [2].
• Every day you recite 700,000 words silently to yourself; this is your tome, your religion, and your faith. Are these words of abundance and expansion or are they words of doom and gloom? 

STEP ONE: RELEASE THE WORDS

For the New Year, I challenge you to write down the words and statements that no longer serving you. Yes, take at least 10 minutes and use your favorite pen or pencil and just write on loose-leaf pages. Rules: No typing on a computer, don’t write these words in your diary, or somewhere permanent! It doesn't have to be legible-just get it out. 

Write EVERYTHING you can possibly think of that is no longer serving you. Choose some fabulous music and just write until your exhausted. Depending on how much clutter you have in there, it might take a while. I do it until I feel myself release with a big deep breath. I have gone as long as an hour of just scribbling.  

“I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” Mark Twain

STEP TWO: SCULPT AWAY

Michelangelo response when asked why he chose a particular piece of marble to carve the Pieta-Jesus and Mother Mary. He said, “There is an angel in it and I want to free it.” And the same philosophy is true with the negative thoughts in your head. When you carve away the words that don’t serve you, you are left with the thoughts that do! 

• So, with awareness and compassion tear those pages you just wrote into shreds.
• Remove those shreds of paper from your space. 
• If you can, burn them! But do it in a safe and controlled environment. If not, get them as far away from you as possible. 

You might feel lighter after this exercise. Be gentle with yourself and breathe deep. 

Next week, we will free your angel and engage your spirit.

To a bright and abundant 2018!

Teresa

If you have any questions about this exercise, my coaching sessions, or my writing services feel free to contact me via LinkedIn. 

1. How Many Words are in the Bible? – Word Counter. (n.d.). Retrieved January 03, 2018, from https://wordcounter.io/blog/how-many-words-are-in-the-bible/

2. Tolstoy, Leo; Dunnigan, Ann. "War and Peace". Perma-bound.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.