A Story Inside You —Bringing Your Thoughts to Paper

By Didi Arias

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestseller Big Magic, writes about the transcendent world of ideas and how we should respond to them. She feels that ideas are energy life forms that live on the planet here with us, along with the plants, animals and other living beings. These bodyless ideas sort of swirl around through eternity, waiting to be taken in by someone to act upon them. The trouble is that once we meet up with an idea and if we don’t bring it to fruit, then it will go back out in to the atmosphere searching for another person to make it happen. When I read this concept it really struck a chord with me, making sense out of the sudden drives I’ve had to do things in life such as paint, dance and write. Being that I have no better thought on where ideas come from, I’ll go with with Ms. Gilbert’s.

There was a moment when one of these nearly two decades at the keyboard and two ideas chose to thwack me; luckily I was conawards to boast, writing has been a very sciously alert that day and the result was rewarding, personal success. that I started writing horse riding magazine People tell me they’d love to write, but articles. There was no Big Plan or dream to have no idea where to begin, nor do they write, neither do I have an academic backknow what to write about. My advice is ground in the subject. Out of the blue, I felt simple in that you just start at the begina brain flash and so sat down and started ning and write what you know. In my mind, typing away. It was so random, so sudden, everyone can become a storyteller because that it just had to be one of those floating everyone has at least one story to tell: their life forms taking up residence in my head. own. Observations, experiences, views, Maybe this is sounding a bit woo woo, but learned wisdoms and lessons are all things I have no other explanation. Now, after that make up the files in our personal storytelling archives. Just living our life’s ten thousand joys, ten thousand sorrows gives us all the material we would ever need for a lifetime of writing. If you want to write, but are unsure what to write about, remember a key factor: Everyday Things Matter.

If you’ve gotten this far, there is a good chance that you might actually be thinking about writing, so following are some personal thoughts on how to get started.

Write daily. Not writing will not make you a writer; only writing will make you a writer, so you will need to practice it just like anything else you want to excel at. If you have ever been a diary keeper, you’ve already got a head start, otherwise start jotting down your thoughts and ideas in a journal. Be disciplined and “show up” for it—it’s kind of a date with yourself and your thoughts. Use non-writing moments to support your writing time. I usually carry a little notebook with me, or at least have my phone handy so I can write things down the moment they pop in to my head. All of my students know that I’ll suddenly exclaim “oh, that was great!”, and take a note midlesson (a place where I get so much writing fodder). They get a kick out of the fact that a concept in one of my articles may have taken root during their class. My students are also my “Idea Sparkers.”

List making works well for me, so I keep a list in my computer of things I may one day write about. The notes therein may seem random and odd, but “cones”, “what if” and “underwear” all flourished in to themes for entire articles. Words and short phrases act as my fire starters, just like those little tablets you put in to the BBQ to get the flames going.

As you write, your style will begin to develop. Certain topics and interests will appear and strengthen, as well as a signature use of words and vocabulary. Your written voice will come out, be it chatty, humorous, teacherly, or fact-filled reporting. Sometimes you may not recognize the sound as being your own, but let it happen as that’s the creative in you taking over the ➢

driver’s seat; just sit in the back and go for the ride. Your views and opinions will definately also start to show their marks (just try keeping those silent—Ha!).

Gain valuable feedback and insight by re-reading your work from time to time, but leave the self-critic home. The exercise is for observational and learning purposes only. In revisiting my work I have discovered forgotten turns of phrase and topics hidden within topics which can be rebirthed in to fresh works. I also think it is kind of sweet to be reunited with the self who wrote those words, sort of like rereading childhood diaries.

One day you may feel confident enough to think about getting your work published either in a magazine or perhaps you have even created a book-in-waiting. Publication can be a scary thing and the self-doubt gremlins can’t wait to take over. Nobody relishes the idea of rejection, and I’m sure J.K. Rowling, Dr. Seuss and Stephen King didn’t enjoy it either. But if you want to get published, you have to persevere, many times over. There are numerous books written about getting your work published, but the how is not my task here. I do, however, recommend The Complete Guide to Magazine Article Writing by J. M. Wilson as it’s very thorough. On a lighter note, Stephen King rules on sharing his advice on how to write. I keep some of his tips typed up by my computer as reminders and I’m practicing some of them right now.

How I got published was due to a lucky “Universe is Helping” moment. I happened to write a few timely pieces that I thought may be of interest to a couple of magazines, so in a reckless flash, (probably boosted by a couple glasses of wine), I looked up editor submission contacts and pressed “Attach” and “Send”. Acceptance was the injection I needed to carry on with the magazine idea, and I just kept going from there.

An important piece of advice to share, whether you are writing a book or for a magazine, is to know who your audience is. If the magazine is non-specific with a varied readership, then identifying and writing towards your ideal reader will help your words resonate with a broader readership. However, if you have a very specific reader, you will need to address them as one, with a topic and in a voice that relates directly to them.

What about the dreaded “writer’s block”? Fortunately I have not hit that roadblock and don’t plan to, but I do know that writing only with the thought of the money it may bring can be a huge creativity stopper. Likewise, having to create on command because of the pressure of deadlines can also put up a solid wall to your flow. You may be able to dash out the words, but they may not be your best nor your most authentic. However, some people work really well under pressure and it can become a driving force to the quality of their output; I’m just not one of them. In all honesty, your writing needs to be enjoyable for you, so do it because you love it as that will show through.

You may be afraid of running out of topics, which can eventually happen if the idea shelves are not kept restocked. My artist-

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turned-poet friend has a great solution to keep herself full of inspiration: she regularly takes herself on people watching dates in a variety of places (church, coffee shops, parks, train stations, etc.). She considers loud speakers a bonus as much inspiration can be overheard in their conversations. (If that is done with ill intent, that is certainly eavesdropping, but if it is done non-maliciously, then it is “Adams-dropping”, as my friend’s young daughter so logically puts it). This creative lady then makes up stories about what she has seen and heard and eventually works them in to her paintings and poems. She is never halted by a lack of inspiration as she keeps her shelves stocked to the fullest.

Writing, as with anything else you are serious about, needs to be treated exactly like that: something serious. As it is inspired work, you need to learn how best to set things up for those words to get down on paper. Set aside specific time for it, without interruptions, and write in a place where you are most productive. If you really want to delve in to it, consider taking some writing classes. Writing courses are frequently on offer at night school and if there is nothing local, there are many online courses available, the beauty being that you can stay at home and sometimes work at your own pace.

There is a beautiful quote from Rumi which says “There is a morning inside you waiting to burst open into Light”. I like to believe that there is a story inside you, too. About the author: Didi Arias is a Level 3 ARIA Certified Instructor and national dressage judge and teacher, who resides in Almeria, Spain.

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