Writing Notebook

Thursday, July 25, 2002

Daily warm up yoga exercises may not seem to have a lot to with the craft of writing. But in this instance this advice seems to say it all. Ellen Serber's Tai Chi Chu’an teacher, Sifu Kuo Lien Ying, had a limited English vocabulary. The few words that he did know, however, were well chosen. He often said, “every day,” meaning that we should practice every day without fail; “loose,” referring to the state our muscles should be in while exercising; and “beautiful” in support of one’s progress and as a reward for concentrating and practicing faithfully. Read this piece, apply it to the craft of writing and observe the shift that takes place.

Don't be imprisoned by the antiquated cultural view that to be a real writer you have to be an author or a poet. Rob Brezney's Astrology site is a work of art. Apart from the beautifully crafted collages that accompany the monthly readings, the readings themselves are crafted and full of advice for those seeking to live creatively. For example here is his latest entry for Pisces.
More and more creative people find they do their best work when they're happy and well-adjusted. I know writers who no longer need to be drunk or sick or in agony in order to shed the numbness of their daily routine and claim the full powers of their imagination. I have musician friends whose best songs flow not from the depths of twisted alienation but rather from the heights of well-earned bliss. For the recalcitrant throwbacks who are addicted to antiquated cultural habits, there may still be a fine line between madness and genius. But I speak for many when I say it's time to laugh that motif into oblivion. Please join the revolution, Pisces.