writing life – Ginger Simpson White

a basic writing prompt…

There are gobs of writing prompts out there.

To be honest, I don’t use writing prompts on a regular basis – and sometimes I don’t even think to turn to them. But there have been times during my writing life when prompts have been a big help. And there’s a special place in my heart for them because back in the very early 90s, when I had my first short story sale (to a children’s magazine – I was so excited to sell a story!!) that story I wrote came into being because of a writing prompt I found and followed in one of the many writing-related books I read.

Even though I’m not a big writing-prompt-user, there’s one prompt in particular that I turn to when I’m feeling blocked. It can help when I’m feeling stuck about what overall writing project to work on, and it can help when I’m feeling stuck about an individual scene.

It’s a very basic question – but it requires me to pay attention and listen to what comes to me.

The question is: What do I want to write?

It might seem like this is a useless prompt. After all, if I knew what to write, if I knew what I wanted to write, why would I even need a prompt to begin with?

But actually asking myself the question – putting it into words for myself and then paying attention to what immediately comes to my mind – can help me gain clarity and direction.

Not overthinking it. Not tensing up or putting up walls.

Just taking a breath and asking the question and then listening. Paying attention to the first answer that comes. Sometimes the first answer isn’t the answer, but often it is – or can lead to finding the ultimate answer.

This is an intuitive approach. But when I can get out of my own way, it can work.

Asking. Listening. Paying attention.

And then writing.

What do you want to write?

What do you WANT to write?

❤

writing on the journey…

When I made the move from a different site to this blog several years ago, I knew I wanted a phrase or tagline that tried to capture a sort of overall theme of what I share here. After playing with a couple of ideas, I settled on writing on the journey.

The phrase continues to be one that reflects what I do.

The dictionary gives the definition of journey as “the act of traveling from one place to another.” And whether I’m writing a blog post, a journal entry, or even including a word or phrase on one of my paintings or art journaling pages, I am writing about the journey through this life. I’m writing about the challenges and the joys. I’m writing about the things that help me along the way and, I hope, offering some encouragement for others.

There has also been another aspect to this phrase for me, though.

It’s also about the writing journey.

I believe connecting to your creativity is an incredibly important aspect of life – and there are many, many ways to express your creativity.

Painting and writing are my main creative outlets, and I share about those most often. Those are the creative activities that light me up the most and make me feel more me. A day doesn’t seem complete unless I’ve held a brush in my hand and moved paint around a canvas or page for at least a few strokes. I’ve talked often about how painting calms me even when nothing else helps.

But as much as I love painting, it was writing that was my first love and it’s writing that’s been a through-line of my life. I didn’t even allow myself to try to paint until far (far!) into adulthood, but writing was with me as soon as I could hold a fat marker to form letters and words.

So…my writing journey is part of what I share here. And that includes sharing things that I hope will be helpful or encouraging for you if you’re on a writing journey of your own.

After all, a writing journey (or any creative journey) is part of the journey of life.

❤

remembering how much it helps to write…

Although I’ve gone through periods of time when I didn’t write much, writing (especially writing fiction) has been a through-line of my life.

Writing mini-novels as soon as I could form words and sentences with whatever writing utensils were on hand. (And I do mean “mini” – as in 3 or 4 pages of large, fat font.) Scribbling longer stories and short poems as I went through elementary, junior high, and high school. Pouring out my heart in diary entries and journals. Writing stories and novels over the decades. Writing papers and reports, and freelance greeting card work and nonfiction projects and blog posts.

Although I enjoy a variety of writing, fiction has been my big love. Having characters and dialogue in my head, and taking stories on the journey from vague thoughts in my mind to words on paper, and creating something from nothing.

When I’m writing fiction regularly, it does something to me. It does something for me.

Simply the process of working on fiction helps me.

It gives me energy, and a sense of purpose, and a feeling of being alive.

It helps me deal with day-to-day life because…well, I don’t even know how or why that happens, it just does.

Writing fiction helps me stay sane when it might seem like things are far from okay.

I KNOW all of this.

I’ve known it for a very long time. Decades.

But when I get away from writing fiction for a while, it’s as though I forget these things, at least in some way. I don’t actually forget, because I can repeat all the above to myself or to others, remembering and knowing that all of it is true. But I sort of forget – or maybe it’s that I forget on some level. Whatever it is, though, some part of me (even though I know and remember) will lose sight of the reality for me of all of the above.

And then…

I’ll get back to writing fiction regularly again.

And I’ll be reminded of the truth all over again. About how writing fiction is healing for me. How it helps me with living life. How it helps me get through.

There’s just something fiction writing gives to me that goes missing when I’m not writing fiction.

For a while this year, I got away from my fiction writing but now I’m back to it consistently. Getting out of the house to write in a different location has helped me get back into a fiction-writing routine. I grab my smallest tablet – and I recently got a small, lightweight, foldable bluetooth keyboard that I LOVE and I grab that too – toss them into my purse (because that’s how small and light they are, but they do what I need!) and I head out for an hour or two.

And I write.

For the past couple of months I’ve been leaving home to write at least a couple of days each week (usually more often). This isn’t new for me – I’ve gone in cycles of writing somewhere other than home, and now I’m in another cycle of doing it…and as with writing itself, it can feel a bit surprising to be reminded, to remember how much it helps me to go somewhere else to write.

I’m not sure why we sometimes forget what we know, but I’ve talked with enough people about this to realize it’s not uncommon. We know what we love, what makes us feel alive, what helps us…and yet, on some level, we forget or we lose track or we don’t put it into action.

Then when we do it again, it’s as though we’re reminded all over again of what a difference it makes.

I’m going to do my best to hold onto remembering for good this time.

♥