After Page One: Motivation

A guest post to motivate, encourage, and inspire

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Writing is My Song

I like to write, especially about funny incidents and unlikely connections about my kids. My goal is to amuse readers weekly with my blog. Fun for both, I hope. I know when I have a good topic because it burns inside of me and I just want to stop life and start typing. It’s like that itch to work out. You must get to the gym or pool to let off steam. With my blog, it’s my creative energy I need to release, an urge to expel deep or humorous thoughts. And when I do, I am euphoric, filled with writing endorphins. Most times, the process is not so easy; I think I don’t have enough to say. How can I begin?

A while ago, when I announced to my six siblings, “I want to write. This is what I am meant to do,” I was met with deadpanned response, not a word was spoken. Nobody laughed or said, “You’re weird!” Nobody teased me either. And believe me, my family can dish it out.

Surprisingly, my older brother gave me a book the next time I saw him: Zen Guitar by Philip Toshio Sudo. My brother plays acoustic guitar, remarkably well. He is a person of few words. So when he talks, it’s pause-worthy. The premise of the book is how we all have a sound we want to make and it comes from within. It doesn’t have to be music. Whatever your sound, when connected to your soul the result is harmony. My brother was sharing his revelation of perfecting the sound. He recognized my instrument, my zen guitar: writing.

It’s been over a year since I read that book. I read it fast. It resonated strongly with me; I still refer back to it in thought and in writing. I think about it while I watch American Idol. I see aspiring contestants trying to play their zen guitar. I know when they find it because goose bumps form on my arms. I can feel it in my soul. If they really connect with their song, they are crying at the end of their performance. Their heart is on the outside, their artistry, their zen guitar. It’s inspiring to me. It makes me want to write, to play my own zen guitar.

If I am ever in a funk and I don’t feel a creative urge to write, it’s like I misplaced my instrument. To find it, I watch or listen to someone perform a song. A spark ignites deep within and I find the courage to try again. Sudo says not to worry about perfection, just play. It will come. So, I start writing what I think I want to say and ultimately, an idea forms, morphs and becomes clearer each time I work the piece. Eventually I am brave enough to post to my blog. And usually someone will like my music and tell me so. I am singing inside. Happy I played my song.

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Join our After Page One series.  We’re looking for 300 to 500-word guest posts that motivate, inspire, and encourage other mama-writers, and we’d love to feature YOUR thoughts about getting started, getting back to a writing project, integrating writing with motherhood, reading, or having a positive attitude.   The list is endless, but here are some questions that might help you get started. We’ll publish a short bio at the bottom of your post so readers can learn more about you and your projects.