Inspirations on “Writing” (Part 2)
By Candice Cardenas
“He expects us to, and makes us to be sincere and thoughtful in all we do. To be purposeful, and have intensity of spirit, feeling, and enthusiasm.” EARNESTLY
As much as I’d like to say that every time I sit down to write, the words just begin to pour out of me, this is not the case. In fact, it is very rare that I sit down to write and immediately get going. It is almost as if I have to unlock the words or remove congestion before I get a good flow. The process of writing is anything but easy, it requires the offense of creativity and the defense of blocking self-doubt at the same time. It requires earnestness and faith. It is “intensity of spirit” and “enthusiasm” that inspires me to unlock the words and clear the congestion.
Before I get to the grind of writing I often sit down with a notebook, listen to music, and draw or scribble. I do this multiple times in one sitting, any time I come to a point when I need a little more direction. I am by no means an artist, but sometimes I need a messy approach to a very methodical art form, so I have a special notebook that I use. What this does for me is create a “free space” for me to imagine, mess up, change my mind, and try new things without committing them to my draft.
Music also plays a crucial role in my writing process. I usually pick a song (sometimes with lyrics, but mostly without lyrics) that represents the emotional undertone of a scene, or reminds of the place or atmosphere I’m trying to create. This is particularly helpful when I am creating a place. Most of the time when you think about a place, you don’t just think about how it looked, you think about how it made you feel. Two people could have two very different descriptions of the same place. Most of the time, the descriptions differ based on the experience they had when they were there. Music is also my trick to working on stories anywhere at any time. Often when I’m driving I have a playlist that is for my current story so I can be in that place, or in a characters head, for a little while and get to know them better. This actually started when I was very young. My mother would always listen to classical music in her car. While most of my friends and siblings thought classical music was boring, it was actually the underscore to my imagination. I would create scenes and stories while riding in her car and often be sad when we came home before I was able to finish!
Again, all of these tools I’ve discovered because I am earnestly, in faith, trying to get to that point of ultimate flow. I have the faith that if I earnestly do the work, God will guide me to that magical place where it doesn’t even feel like I’m writing, where it just feels like I’m watching a movie unfold in my head. I can tell you without reservation, He is always faithful to lead me there!