Cynthia Morris

The way to excel at anything is to practice.

I have a yoga practice, a coaching practice and a writing practice. These are all very different but as practices, they have things in common.

A practice requires you to show up regularly. A practice doesn’t demand excellence, or even good, on the first laps out. A practice teaches us courage and humility. It’s humbling to show up again and again, seeking to express yourself.

A practice also pays off over time. I don’t want to be discouraging. I know we want results for our efforts. I also know that lasting results happen over time, when we show up. When we practice.

Free-writing is an excellent way to practice. To show up without expectations, willing to see what’s there. I show up at yoga this way. I show up with my clients this way. I show up for my writing this way. Open, ready and willing to let the practice lead me. It’s a relief to let my practices hold me as I grow and learn.

Prompt: What do your practices teach you?  

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

The coolest thing happens in my writing classes. People sign up so they can get some writing done. But a bonus of the class is that they discover so much more about who they are, what they care about and why they want to write in the first place.

No matter what you are writing, you need to know the underpinnings of your words. What are your values? What do you deeply care about?

What matters most to you? With free-writing, you access things you didn’t realize about yourself. You become more YOU, and you come to love the sense of surprise and discovery that free-writing gives you.

Sometimes this freaks people out. We don’t want to know more about ourselves. We know enough already, for goodness’ sake. But free-writing has a magical way of showing us more, showing the truth of us, pointing us in the direction of our true north.

Aren’t you curious about yourself?

Prompt: If I knew more about myself…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

Appreciate that the time we spend on our writing as a gift we give to ourselves again and again.

Writing might seem like a lot of work. And, in truth, it is. But it’s also a gift we give to ourselves. Taking the time to honor our writing impulse, even if we don’t know where it will lead us, is a treat.

Appreciating yourself enough to honor the writing drive will feel like a gift you give yourself again and again.

Doesn’t this feel like a better perspective than that writing is something you have to do to prove yourself?

Prompt: What gifts might your writing give you?

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

Do you crave a consistent writing routine? Something you can rely on to write what you want, when you want. It’s possible, but first you have to ask this question:

What does it mean for you to be consistent with your writing?

You don’t necessarily have to write every day to have a consistent routine. Most of us want to be consistent for the sake of ease, so we can feel a connection to our words and honestly and honorably call ourselves writers.

Free-writing helps build consistency because it makes it easy to write without censure. Most of us hold too high a bar for our initial writing forays. Lower the bar, get some words out, build consistency. Over time, your writing will improve along with your confidence.

Prompt: Consistent writing for me looks like…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

Do you ever feel like you’re not always telling or writing your true truth? That you censor yourself in order to seek approval or look a certain way?

I’ve seen a miraculous release of our truths when we use free-writing. Writing with a prompt, using a timer and without stopping has a potent truth-releasing effect. People in my writing classes have gotten in touch with their deep truth about their lives, their writing and their direction. It’s not necessarily journaling, but a way to access what you really want to say.

Prompt: What I really want to say…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

Some people think that free-writing is a waste of time, because it might not be publishable or useful. I can assure you that this method does yield work that is ready for the world. Frankly, I don’t know any writer that doesn’t need some editing. Of course your free-writing will need revising.

For me, free-writing lets me get a start. It gives me a method to get my words out so I can sculpt them later. ALL the things I have written – books, course materials, articles and my novel all started with free-writes. And I have been told that the best, freshest writing in my novel were the parts that were barely edited free-writes.

So the idea that free-writing is just journaling and a potential waste of time – not always true.

Prompt: Writing freely allows me to…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start at the beginning here.

If we’re honest with ourselves, the only thing in the way of our writing dreams is ourselves. We are afraid we’re not good enough. Or we worry that what we have to say is unimportant.

I believe that if you have the desire or urge to write, you must follow it. Who knows where it will lead you?
Get out of your own way with free-writing. It’s a great way to shed the BS and the inhibitions and to release your words freely.

Prompt: When I get out of my own way, I…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start from the beginning here.

Most of us feel the time squeeze – we don’t have enough time in the day to do all the things we have to do, let alone the things we want to do.

But I’ve coached all kinds of people, from moms to executives to entrepreneurs, and the lack of time excuse isn’t really valid. We make time for what we care about.

You would be surprised at how much you can get out in just 15 minutes a day.  Free-writing is a great way to get your words out on the page. In just 15 minutes, you can start something you can easily return to later.

Prompt: With 15 minutes, I could…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start at the beginning here.

One of the biggest blocks we face is fear of what others will think of us and our writing. This concern for staying safe and looking good is normal – we all have this to some degree, right?

But in order to get our words out in our authentic voice, we need to shut ourselves off from the world temporarily. Free-writing is a great way to shut out the world and immerse ourselves in our words. Write like no one is reading, even if it’s just to get yourself started.

Prompt: If I didn’t worry about what others think, I would write…

This is part of a 30-day series focused on how free-writing can change your life. Start at the beginning here.

Are you waiting for permission to start writing what you want? Wait no longer.

In April, I’m going to post a daily writing inspiration to coax all and any wannabe writers to get started (or resume!). I will share the benefits of free-writing, a method I have been teaching since 1996. Free-writing is a powerful tool for writers of all levels and genres to get their words out easily. 

Each day will include a writing prompt that you can use to practice free-writing and to get to know your writer self. The guidelines for free-writing are:

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
2. Use the prompt, and don’t think about it; just plunge in.
3. Don‘t worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar or correctness. True freedom!
4. Don’t stop writing for the entire 15 minutes. Don’t worry about it going anywhere, just let your pen lead the way.
5. At the end of each writing session, jot down three words that describe how it went for you. Don’t overthink it. This reflection process will help you see the benefits that your writing gives you.

Have fun and enjoy the freedom! At the end of the month, if you have written every day you will have written for almost 8 hours. 

Sometimes it’s good to have privacy around your writing, so no need to share your writing here on the Original Impulse blog. But if you’d like to share your three words or any insights you are gleaning from this process, feel free to leave a comment! I’d love to hear how this affects you.

You’ve probably heard about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic – coming from an internal force and extrinsic – coming from an external force. Everyone has her or his own drive for doing something.

When it comes to our creative projects, I’ve always asked my clients to connect with their intrinsic motivation. We may not know the outcome of writing a book or producing a body of art. The payoff for that may be a long way down the road. So it makes sense to me that we need an inner flame, a deep and true spark that aligns with our values and what we love.

When something is this meaningful to us, we care. We care a lot. We want our book or our work to be good. We want big things for the work and for ourselves.

Unfortunately, sometimes this deep meaning can tip over into too much caring! The stake that we are a stand for becomes stakes that are too high. Our ‘why’ becomes too big and our dreams for our writing tip us into fear mode. Next thing you know, we’re immobilized and the thing that was once so dear to our heart becomes a fear in the gut.

As I prepare to publish my book, I’ve noticed how I tip toward caring too much. Fear creeps in when I think of the publication date. Even though I have written and published many books, each time I am called to bolster my courage. I’m asked to keep the focus on what I want for the book and the world, not on me and my ego.

We all have fears about whether our projects will be good and whether the world will receive it. We put so much into our work, and we want it to succeed. Yet the true work of creating and sharing our work is to not fall prey to our fears. To keep meaning solidly in place and fear in its place.

My clients have found it helpful to hold the vision intact for the project, and also to release expectation. Once we put the work into the world, it’s out of our hands. The world will rise up to meet it in whatever way it does.

It’s an odd blend of hope and non-attachment. This is something we have to practice every day.

What works for you to hold a clear sense of meaning and also release fears and expectations? Share your thoughts below.