Another Mystical Consideration

Following my last post, I’ve got one other mystical consideration for you as you work to live as a writer*.

There needs to be attention given to the pace at which one lives in order to consistently produce creative work.
When professional or family life gets hectic, taxing my emotions and energy, I tend to slough off on my spiritual disciplines of prayer and reading scripture. I let time get the upper hand. This equation of being busy and non-meditative represents a great downward slide that is terrible for creative work.
I’ve had highly productive spurts in the throes of depression or when in a position of being victimized by the demands of my outer-life. Usually these spurts have come in the form of poetry or flash fiction. But they’ve been short and hot, like magician’s flash paper.
Circling back to the last post, a hectic pace does not allow for consideration and attention to whatever it is you’re handling. Nuance and focus are replaced by high volume (multi-tasking^) and spotty quality.
Long-term deep thought requires physiological space. That space will not come naturally or as a result of simply sitting down to write. You’ve got to plan for it. You’ve got to live your life in a way that will allow contemplation. Writing requires it.

*So that is two posts in a row where I’ve, as I put it last time, waxed mystical. Some of you are going to appreciate this sort of material, many of you won’t. That doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll tell you what I think you need to hear, dear reader. But since I tend to focus on the practical, craft-oriented, tangibles of getting the work done, you’ll likely find little of this in the future.
A little of this goes a very, very long way.

^Multi-tasking is for computers, not people.