I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring to do a #100DayProject starting today. I’m going to be undertaking a practice of mindful writing.
What Is Mindful Writing?
The practice of mindful writing involves writing with awareness, presence, and intention. It centers on the writing process, observing thoughts and feelings non-judgmentally, and using writing for self-discovery and understanding. This method offers therapeutic, reflective, and engaging writing, fostering self-discovery and genuine expression.
Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones, highlights the importance of presence in writing:
“Whether you’re keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it’s the same thing. What’s important is that you’re having a relationship with your mind.”
Mindful writing is not just an act of recording words, but a deeply personal practice that fosters healing, clarity, and creativity.
To cultivate a mindful writing practice, consider the following strategies (quoting from a post on The Frangipani Creative – you can read the full post here.)
- Create Awareness: Take moments to observe your surroundings and internal state. Noticing details like a beautiful sunset or the sound of birds can enrich your writing.
- Breathe: Engage in deep breathing exercises to relax and center yourself before writing.
- Observe: Enhance your observation skills by paying close attention to your environment and emotions, which can lead to richer writing.
- Accept: Acknowledge challenges like writer’s block without judgment, making it easier to move beyond them.
- Let Ideas Flow: Write freely without immediate concern for grammar or structure, allowing creativity to flourish.
- See Beyond: Delve deeper into your thoughts to explore the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind your observations, allowing for more profound writing.
The Plan for 100 days
I will dedicate 15–20 minutes each day to this practice. I plan to write to prompts and will dip in to these resources, adding more as I go along:
- Beth Kempton’s Soul Sparks on her Soul Circle on Substack
- The Way Of The Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Amazon affiliate link)
- Writing From The Senses
- Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg (Amazon affiliate link)
- Kicking In The Wall by Barbara Abercrombie (Amazon affiliate link)
I might publish a piece or two, but it’s my intention to focus on the practice rather than the product. (Thank you to Modern Gypsy for the inspiration).
To do writing practice means to deal ultimately with your whole life.
Natalie Goldberg
Are you doing a #100DayProject? Is this something you might consider?
♥
Corinne
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All the best with your 100 Day Project, Corinne! It sounds like such a wonderful, deep way to connect with yourself through your writing. Some of those resources look interesting — I must remember to actually write to the Soul Spark prompts rather than just reading them each week!!
Mindful writing practice sounds like a wonderful way to connect deeply with your thoughts and words. I don’t think I’ve ever approached writing that way—I usually just type or scribble my thoughts onto paper without much intention.
I’ll try following the steps in your post before my next writing session and see how it turns out.
Wishing you all the best for your 100 Day Project, Corinne!
I like a lot your idea of mindful writing. Maybe I’ll share this with
another project, of 100 of small paintings, over an year.
Would be nice! But anyway, I’ll continue with the fiction monday,
so at least I’ll exersise some weekly writing…
All the best, Corrine and a lot of inspirations with your writing!❤️
One of my challenges this year is to be mindful of the the things I do. I think it links to my woty “bravely” because it will make me face what is hiding in my unconcious mind and bring it out into the open. I too may not share everything I write, but just getting it out on paper, will bring more awareness, I think. Thanks for the post! It appeared right when I needed it.