Thursday, November 21, 2013

How to Go Deep

Somewhere inside every writer dwells a mystic.

Yet we live in deconstructionist times. Seems like there's a precise formula for accomplishment in everything, guaranteed by some marketplace-dwelling 'guru'.

Good writing? Writing success? Is there a difference? Yes.

If you want to deepen your understanding of writing, if you want to explore your passion for writing, talk to people who are devoted to the practice of a demanding thing. I emphasize devoted. Think about what that means. Ask, Why do you do it? A true devotee will give you one answer: I do it for the sake of the thing itself. A yogi practices yoga for its own sake. A painter paints for its own sake. A nun practices her religion for its own sake. A race-car driver races for its own sake.



A true devotee asks nothing from that which he is devoted to. As a devotee you give yourself to the glory of something much bigger and more important than yourself, at whatever the cost to you. And you do it with gladness. And you are rewarded. You may not be rewarded in the way you expect or want. The point is, if you practice this thing with your whole heart, without greed and without vanity, you will transform your life.

[Image note: E's drawings]

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2 comments:

  1. Nice post, Elizabeth. I agree wholeheartedly. I'm a pet photographer and writer and I honestly do both for the sake of each profession. Each, like an onion, has its own layers of possible other reasons for doing it, but when it comes down to it, the true answer is not for other people, not for recognition, not to provide an element of self-worth... simply for the sake of it. I truly enjoy what I do. Thanks for the post and I wish you a happy, safe, and love-filled Thanksgiving. My best to you, Dee Ann Waite www.deeannwaite.com

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    1. Beautiful, Dee Ann. Thanks for stopping in, and the very same good T-giving wishes back to you.

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