5 things meditation won't do for your writing
It's not a substitute for the work
It’s easy to think, “If I just do X then my writing will be easy/perfect/faster [insert any other adjective here].” And while I’m on here touting the benefits of meditation for creativity, it’s not a panacea for all of your writing woes and it’s unfortunately not a substitute for the work. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of positive things meditation will do for your life — like enhance your self-awareness, reduce stress and anxiety, etc, etc. But let’s be clear about what meditation can and can’t do for your writing.
It won’t write your book for you.
While meditation has been proven to help get you into a flow state that helps initiate the writing process, it won’t put words onto the page — that part is up to you. I get it. Writing a book is daunting. There’s no doubt about that. Any major creative endeavour requires a lot of time, heart and vulnerability. As I currently embark on a new manuscript, I take it one step at a time. Thinking about writing 80,000 words in itself is anxiety inducing, so instead I focus on small, incremental steps (even if it’s as teeny as 150 words or 30 minutes). Remember: all progress is progress!
“[Meditation] is not a panacea for all of your writing woes and it’s unfortunately not a substitute for the work.”
It won’t eliminate your craft issues.
Meditation has been shown to help improve focus, which is useful when it comes to crafting sentences that pack a bigger punch or finding a stronger synonym, but it won’t effortlessly shift you from a novice to a Pulitzer-worthy wordsmith. Improvements to craft requires trial and error; reading writing from a variety of well-crafted sources; and hours of putting pen to paper. Without sounding like a broken record, all craft requires continuous persistence.
One example I like comes from the book Art & Fear: Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland. In it they share a story of a ceramics teacher who divided the group into two sections. Group A would be graded on the quantity of work produced and Group B would be graded on the quality of their product. Because Group A produced a large volume of pots and learned from their mistakes, they actually created the highest quality of items versus Group B that had to focus on perfecting one pot. The lesson is quantity leads to quality. A useful thought when it comes to improving your craft.
It won’t remove self-doubt
One thing meditation will definitely do is make you conscious of whatever is on your mind. If you’re thinking about how crappy of a writer you are before you start to meditate, there’s a good chance those thoughts will push their way to the front of your mind. Self-doubt plagues even the most talented writers/musicians/actors and some may argue, it’s a useful state for artists. This piece in The Marginalian quoted actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith who said in her book Letters to a Young Artist, “Determination allows for doubt and for humility — both of which are critical.”
It’s easy to want to push away self-doubt (don’t confuse it with self-loathing), but I believe a healthy dose of self-doubt can help push you to improve your craft. If you didn’t have some doubt, you’d probably be over confident and never strive to improve.
It won’t give you immediate results
Just like a few weight training sessions won’t give you a toned body, meditating a few times won’t change your life, although I hesitate to encourage an all-or-nothing perspective. Two minutes of meditation is better than zero minutes, and a scattered practice likely offers some benefits (although one study showed a routine for at least 8 weeks was required to see positive effects).
Continuing with my exercise example, someone who consistently trains 4 to 5 times a week will obviously be in better shape than someone who trains a few times a month, but Person B who trains occasionally will still see some benefits. Meditation is the same. So, if you’re not super consistent, give yourself a pat on the back for what you do manage to do. Something is better than nothing.
“Just like not all medication/therapy is for everyone, meditation might not be the right modality for you now (or ever) and that’s totally OK.”
It’s not for everyone.
Just because meditation works for me, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. There have been reported incidents of adverse side effects caused from a mindfulness meditation practice ranging from panic attacks to depersonalization and even psychosis. Thankfully, it appears these extreme consequences are rare (this wasn’t even a topic of discussion in the dozen of courses I took at U of T, which I find a bit surprising/concerning).
As a refresher, meditation isn’t about removing all of the thoughts in your brain, but instead letting them come up, noting them and then allowing them to float away. Unfortunately, for some people this practice can trigger past traumatic experiences. If this is the case, I would recommend stopping your practice immediately and seeking professional help. Just like not all medication/therapy is for everyone, meditation might not be the right modality for you now (or ever) and that’s totally OK. There are tons of other ways to relax and get into a writing groove, including walking in nature (something I personally enjoy).
I’d love to know your thoughts on meditation. Do you find it hard to commit to a regular practice? Do you dislike it?
Friendly reminder: I am a journalist, not a medical expert. Please use my advice/content with discretion. Contact your medical provider if you have questions regarding your health.