the writing life – Andy writes!

Beginner’s mind and the writer

Perhaps for the writer, beginner’s mind can begin with the notion of writing as a journey, an exploration with no specific destination in mind.

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,

but in the expert’s there are few.

— Shunryu Suzuki

I’ve only been at this creative writing thing for a year, but sometimes I forget that I’m a beginner. With that in mind, I’m trying to embrace and understand anew the concept of beginner’s mind. So in an attempt to wipe the slate clean, I’m going back to the beginning, or near beginning, of this writing journey by republishing a post from exactly a year ago. I post it to remind myself how much I need to still unlearn — and to remind me that I ain’t no guru.

The tyranny of the blank page

How much should you write in one sitting? And for how long? These are questions that nag at me daily.

Once we’ve embraced the idea of beginner’s mind and have opened ourselves to the limitless possibilities before us, it’s time to get down to the act of writing itself.

It’s time to begin. And sometimes, that’s the hardest part of the writer’s experience.

Sometimes, despite our best intentions and efforts, we freeze before the blank page or screen before us. Where to begin? How to start? How to conquer the tyranny of the blank page?