Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Lost Art of Daydreaming

by Madelle Morgan


When was the last time you did absolutely nothing? No TV, no phone. No rushing to fill rare free moments with yet another errand on the To-Do list, clean the cat's litter box, or to scroll through social media posts and online shopping sites.

When was the last time you sat alone in a quiet place, with no devices in hand, and listened to your inner thoughts?




This month's topic is "lost art".

I suggest that connecting with our inner selves is a lost art. 

Month after month we rush through our days with no time to just "be". There is always so much to "do". We have no time to think. To dream. To let ideas float into our minds from the deep well that is our subconscious, or from the infinite super consciousness of the universe.

I've been very busy over the summer, reading fiction and non-fiction, attending seven workshops, hosting guests, and travelling. My To-Do list is very long. I've hardly had time to take a deep breath before it's on to the next thing.

More to the point, I haven't had that time so important to writers and other creatives to daydream. A plotter, I haven't devoted the hours necessary to connect the dots for my WIP and think about the character arcs. I tell myself I'll do that before I fall asleep. Yeah, right. Eight hours later... the next busy day begins.

It's fall already! Yikes. Where did the summer go?




Don't get me wrong. I had a fabulous summer! I enjoyed every minute. A highlight was a two week trip to England's Yorkshire and Midlands regions. I planned to work on the plane (didn't happen) but I did think about my WIP.

Sort of.

I decided that my characters in Hollywood Hero have to go on location in the endless Yorkshire moors. That's progress, right?






How do you make time to be alone with your thoughts and fill that creative well?

Madelle


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Madelle writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense set in Canada. Find all her books on Amazon.com


3 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

Of course going on location in the Yorkshire moors counts. And you may need to return just to make sure you have the details right.

Most recently I've not been watching t.v. - news ban and I'm not spending the time on the computer, especially social media (news ban) so I've freed up more time. I have a walking program and that gives me time (15 - 20 minutes a couple times a day) to let my mind wander as I'm staying in my neighborhood. I also find my mind going through a slow-down when I go to bed and when I wake up. It can take me 30 minutes or so fall asleep during which my brain is wandering through thoughts, feelings, etc. Same upon waking. And when I'm writing, those times are when the story flows so brilliantly it lasts until I get to the computer the next day.

This year I'm doing something new...a writing retreat where I can sit and watch the ocean or walk on the beach and let my imagination soar. We'll see how that works. The worst thing that will happen is I'll spend 5 days at the beach...which is not a bad thing at all-lol.

Madelle Morgan said...

Hi Judith,
TV and social media are definitely time sucks, and SO DIFFICULT to cut. Kudos to you! The beach writing retreat sounds awesome. I'd be tempted to read some books, though. :)

Lynn Lovegreen said...

Good pint, Madelle. I think most of us need more daydreaming time.