What Hansel and Gretel Taught Me About Writing
When I am writing in flow, which is what I always aspire to do, it feels like such a relief. At last, the words are coming and I can’t get my thoughts down fast enough. But then, inevitably, my time to write ends. And then the next time I show up, that excited energy is long gone; I don’t remember where I am or what I want to write next. Often, it’s so tempting to go back to the beginning and re-read to enter back into my piece.
I’ve learned the hard way that this is a horrible mistake. Inevitably I will begin editing what I wrote, and find myself stuck in the “choosing the right word” part of writing rather than the most productive, “riding the wave, being in flow” part of writing.
This is where Hansel and Gretel come in. I realized if I leave myself notes, breadcrumbs if you will, I can get myself back into flow quickly and easily. Here’s how I do it. First, I don’t write myself dry. I stop when my time is up. Then I take a minute and jot down a whole bunch of notes for myself that are clear and specific, so I know what they will mean when I come back again. And I place them where I can go directly to them first, and not reread anything. For me, that means typing brackets [like this] and then doing a search for the bracket in my document. When I go directly to my notes, and read them first, I have a little “aha!” moment, and before I know it, I’m right back in the flow.