Among my favorite things to read are essays in which writers take specific spiritual practices and beliefs and apply them to writing. I am delighted on this Great Stuff for Writers Friday to share three superb blog posts that do exactly that. What feels like such a blessing about these posts is not only that they are all thoughtful and beautifully written, but that they each come from a different tradition, and they each cover a different aspect of the writing life. I’ll begin with my favorite.
In “The Intention to Write,” David Ebenbach (Into the Wilderness, Between Camelots, The Artist’s Torah) offers an insightful discussion of the act of writing from the standpoint of kavannah in the Judaic tradition. Kavannah, as Ebenbach explains, means “focused, holy intention.” It is a way of paying attention to your life as you live it, of being mindful and grateful for each moment. Ebenbach details a beautiful series of morning blessings which he says before he writes and which help sustain his process. “In Judaism it matters a great deal what’s on your mind as you do any and all of the important things in life,” he tells us. That includes writing.
“When Times are Arid, Don’t Forget the Driftwood” by Rev. Jo Burton from the Spirituality and Hilarity blog has some good tips about what to do when you’re having blogger’s block (or any other type of writing block for that matter). The metaphor of looking at the driftwood that washed up from the last high tide is powerful. “Words that have been cast out, and ideas forgotten, are sometimes just what we are looking for,” Burton writes. “Is this recycling? Is this art? Is this the direction we needed? Is this God?”
“A Buddhist Take on Writing: Faith Without Attachment” by Dinty W. Moore explores how to use the Buddhist practice of detachment to deal with the highs and lows of the writing life—and especially with the sometimes devastating disappointments writers face. Beginning with her own disappointment at having to abandon a book she’d been working on for six years (yep: been there), Moore shows how she went from “rage, shock, despondency, and confusion” to relief —and how letting the project go freed her to write two successful books.
Three traditions. Three aspects of the writing life. Three blog posts. Check them out.