Michele Tracy Berger's Blog, page 58

She Found a Way To Believe: Octavia Butler’s Amazing Use of Affirmations & Affirmations-366Days#30

Affirmations-366Days#30: I actively name, claim and exclaim my writing aspirations.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

I am over the moon at finding Kiara Collins’s wonderful post on Octavia Butler’s recently discovered personal journal. This post was sent to me last night by my gifted writer teacher and friend, Melissa Delbridge. Octavia Butler was the first successful African American female speculative fiction writer. She wrote many highly acclaimed novels and was the first science fiction writer to win the MacArthur Genius award. Her pioneering books explore the legacies of race, class and gender, and the challenges of independence and interdependence in human relationships. She is one of my favorite authors. I’ve written about the use of her term ‘positive obsessions’.

 

 

And, as it turns out she used AFFIRMATIONS to help her imagine and embody her success as a writer. As someone who thought I knew a lot about her work, I was stunned by this revelation. I knew of her struggles, as an African American woman, to become a speculative fiction writer during a time when that was almost unthinkable. I also teach her wonderful essay, ‘Positive Obsession’ (from Bloodchild and Other Stories), where she chronicles her almost crippling self-doubt and ruminates over the sexism and racism that she faced in the 1960s and 1970s. But, I had no idea that she as Ms. Collins notes “literally wrote herself into existence” using affirmations. This is such an important confirmation about the power of affirmations. If you’ve been reading this blog since January, then you know that I’ve made a commitment to post one affirmation related to writing and/or creative practice every day for the entire year. I believe it will support my writing practice and experience of myself as a writer. I want it to be a fun and uplifting project and also helpful to others. Affirmations can provide mental and emotional support as we move toward our goals.

Here is her list of affirmations written on the back of her notebook:

 

Looking at her list, a few things strike me about how she used affirmations:

–They are written in the present tense. It’s helpful to reinforce that what we want is happening now.

–They are handwritten. There is power in slowing down and writing by hand when playing with affirmations. Science tells us that different parts of our brain are activated when we write by hand.

–She uses repetition. When writing affirmations, it’s helpful to use repetition. Most of the time, we’re trying to release deep seated negative mental patterns and so writing a powerful statement over and over is helpful.

–She wanted her success to contribute to others. Several of Butler’s affirmations involved supporting African American young people. Our success should ripple out and positively impact others.

I hope you’ll add affirmations to your writing and/or creative toolkit in 2016.

See Kiara Collins’ post here.

Affirmations-366Days#29

Affirmations-366Days#29: I allow myself to entertain big writing dreams.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Affirmations-366Days#28

Affirmations-366Days#28-My respect for my written work increases each day.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Affirmations-366Days#27 & Have You Scheduled Time for Your Genius Project?

Affirmations-366Days#27-I routinely schedule time for my ‘genius project’; the kind of writing project that takes my breath away.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Commentary:

During this past holiday break, I spent a lot of time listening to writing coach, Rochelle Melander’s backlog of excellent podcasts. In one of the episodes, she encourages people to make time for their ‘genius projects’. Genius projects are the ones that take our breath away every time we think about them. Genius projects, are the ones we daydream of attempting because they are so inspiring, mind-expanding, challenging, different, boundary-breaking, etc. These are the projects that if we could just make a little time for them, working on them would light us up from the inside. Sadly, these are the projects that often live at the very bottom of our to-do lists, languishing behind deadline driven work, prior commitments, other practical writing projects, and going to the dentist. She recommends that you schedule time in the calendar to focus on your genius project.

Do you have a genius project? Does it have time and space on your calendar?

Affirmations-366Days#26

Affirmations-366Days#26-I am intentional about capturing all good creative ideas throughout the day.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Affirmations-366Days#25

Affirmations-366Days#25: Every time I sit down to write, I imagine an ideal reader waiting for my words.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Commentary:

It was relatively late in my writing career that I learned about the notion of an ‘ideal reader’. An ideal reader is someone who really gets your aesthetic sensibility. I enjoy imagining my ideal reader leaning forward, nodding along and enjoying my prose. The ideal reader is also the person that you’re hoping will feel transformed by your work. Taking the time to imagine the characteristics that might make up your ideal reader is fun. Would they need to have read a lot of Faulkner or Toni Cade Bambara to get some of your more elusive references? Would growing up in West Virginia be important? Do they need to like puns? Do they need to have an uncle who gardened? Do they love epic adventure stories?

Who is your ideal reader?

Affirmations-366Days#24

Affirmations-366Days#24: I allow myself to be completely absorbed in my creative work without guilt.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Affirmations-366Days#23 & Commentary

Affirmations-366Days#23-My writing space is a sanctuary. I keep this space decluttered and organized.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

Commentary:

How is your writing space looking and feeling these days? Your writing space may mean a desk, a kitchen table, an office or your laptop.

One look at my desk and you might believe that paper monsters had invaded, had sex on my desk and left their offspring behind.

Ah, Houston…we have a problem! This is not my office, BTW, but I have been there.

January is the perfect time to assess one’s space and make small adjustments. I usually save big stuff for spring cleaning.

I did these three tasks which took almost no time at all, made me feel great and organized my space:

-I organized the growing stack of business cards and notes about writers I’ve met during 2015. I’m setting aside some time tomorrow to follow-up with a few people by email.

-I take many writing workshops and classes and tend to keep examples of other students’ work. I find it useful to see how someone approaches a style of writing or technique that I am interested in (e.g. writing a persona poem). The challenge, of course, is that these kinds of papers can accumulate. Today, I flipped through material I had been keeping for years, made some notes and then pitched the stack.

-I tend to have idea cards and sticky notes around my house and home office. I gathered them up, read through them, clustered several together (e.g. Zora Neale Hurston ghost story), and put them in my ‘idea folder’. I love going “shopping” in this folder from time to time.

What are three small tasks you can do that will help your writing space look and feel great?

Affirmations-366Days#22 & Commentary

Affirmations-366Days#22-I remind myself there is no one path to being a writer. I savor my unique and worthy path.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.

 

Commentary:

This post from last February seems to fit this affirmation quite well. I love it when that kind of synchronicity happens!

 

Last week, I wrote about the lovely time I had at the ‘Love and Lonely Writer’ Valentine’s Day reading being featured with Marjorie Hudson.

One of the questions I asked Marjorie was ‘what would you do differently now if you were just starting a writing career?’ She said among other things, she’d be less shy about announcing herself as a writer. And, she’d also let go of the inner fear of ‘not being good enough’ a lot quicker.

She then asked me the same question. I didn’t expect this for some reason and so I answered it quickly. I said that I would have joined a writing group and sought community a lot sooner.

Although what I offered was true, I felt I left something else important unsaid. And, this unsaid thing has nagged at me for the past week.

Here is what I wished I would have said:

I wish I would have realized earlier that there is no one path to being a writer or embodying a writing life. Some people take years rowing across acidic lakes of self-doubt before getting the courage to write a single word. Some people come to writing because they have a great idea and want to express it and know little about craft or technique. Others have always dreamed of being writers and feel it deep in their bones. Some writers come to writing after retirement. Some want to make lots of money with their writing and others just want to be published in The New Yorker. Some writers are introverted and others will drink with you all night. Some writers have felt marginalized for most of their lives and others have felt entitled. Some writers write every day and others in uneven cycles and spurts. Some people study literature in college and others study Jackie Collins at the laundromat. Some writers are anxious no matter what their output and others settle into a Zen like calmness. Some writers quit again and again and others commit from day one. Some writers get their inspiration from role playing games and others from nature. Some writers define their creativity in spiritual terms and others don’t. I had all kinds of notions in my head about what it meant to be a writer and to actualize a writing life. Some were helpful, but most were junk and prevented me from enjoying the journey. Writers (and creative folk generally) come to this life from a dizzying number of perspectives and life experiences.

Let’s honor our individual paths and the wisdom they reveal and reflect back to us.

Have you had to discard any unhelpful ideas about what a writer’s life should be like? I’d love to hear.

 

Affirmations-366Days#21

Affirmations-366Days#21-I treasure the moments I get to create.

For new readers, here’s why I’m committing to writing affirmations, about the creative process, during the next 366 days.