How to Write Some Serious Stuff...

I'm a writer. I write leadership development articles for executive coaches. Some serious stuff, you know? That's how I make my living. (I actually spend more of my time playing tennis and writing blog posts, but nobody pays me to do either of those things.)

(Justification for having fun: Writing blog posts helps keep me slightly famous, and gets me the odd referral. Tennis keeps my body and mind in shape. I can't write well unless my brain is healthy. So it's all good for keeping me afloat.)

I spent a bunch of money to go to a writer's retreat last week. Jennifer Louden has been gathering writers together for 8-9 years, bundling them off to beautiful Taos, New Mexico, and feeding them magical words to transform them  into better writers.

It's the only conference I've been to where one of the goals is to laugh your butts off. We also learned the Dance of Shiva and did yoga every day with the incredible Havi Brooks.

While there, I started my book and wrote 9,000 words of stories, most of which I really like. I had been putting this off for a decade, but I cracked through the starting block thanks to Jen and the group's magical powers.

I'm sharing this with you because of this important fact:

If you want to write good stuff for your business, you should consider laughing with other like-minded creative people. Can't really do that online, you may need to go to a conference or workshop. Life doesn't happen in a vacuum and your writing can't get better alone or without laughing your butt off.

Secondly, even if you write serious stuff that isn't funny, you need to laugh and write other stuff, maybe fiction, maybe poetry, no matter. Your writing will get better in one domain if you practice in others.

Finally, you will become more of the person you really are, and be better able to express your essence. Even if you're writing about the effects of gamma rays on mitachondria in the brain, your authenticity will shine through. Your writing will be better.

The weird side effect of all this creative writing: I still feel like I'm living out a scene in Paris, walking in the rain down the avenue Montaigne. I'm still writing my book, but need to get back to real life. It doesn't help that we had thunderstorms last night here at home, in Ajijic, Mexico.

Back to business. I'm a writer. I write some serious stuff.

Comments

[Jenny Pilley]

I know from experience that one way of writing is never the way to develop your skills. There are many ways in which you find yourself getting writers block if you concentrate on writing in the same style and tone.
Saying that, my creative writing has taken a nose dive and it's something I know I need to get to back into to improve all aspects of my writing; at work and at home.
Think this post has given me that inspiration, thanks Patsi.

[Sandy McMullen]

Creativity is a grind when you aren't in flow. Or is that it grinds to a halt. My best work is done in play. Definitely when I am painting this is true. It is also true when I am coaching - even when the content is uber serious.

I have long had the idea of having playing and creativity as a resource for executives. Not sure the idea is a commitment (yet)Thanks for the delicious remind of what the zone looks like for me.