Creation Or Discovery? - An Unusual Tool For Writers

I want you to make up a sentence in your head. Any sentence at all. Even something that's true, an event from your own life for example. It could even be something nonsense like, "The alligator wears running shoes when eating ice cream."

Got it?

Ok good. Now, do you feel confident that you've created this sentence and that it most likely didn't exist before you thought it? Recently I've stumbled across a site that challenges that assertion. It's called The Library of Babel.

The Library of Babel is a virtual library inspired by a short story of the same name by Jorge Luis Borges. In Borges' story, there exists an incredibly vast library that contains every possible book that has been or ever could be written. Faithful to the story, the virtual library also contains every thought that has been, or ever could be, expressed through writing including this post you are reading right now.

Now, there's nothing mystical going on here. A computer program arranges the 26 lowercase letters of the alphabet, along with spaces, periods and commas, in all of their possible combinations. In this way, it eventually configures the words into anything that can be written. This means that it has created every story, even true stories. The library contains the true story of your birth, life, and death. Somewhere among the incomprehensible number of pages is the entire past and future of our universe.

The problem is, you would never find those pages by browsing through the books. In fact, you won't find anything besides random, nonsensical letters. The only way to find anything worth reading is by using the search function. And the way that works is to write the stories that you are looking for. For example, take the sentence that you just made up. The only way to find its location in the library is by typing it into the search tool and hitting enter.

But this is where I like to think of the library as an unusual tool for writing. It's a tool in the sense that it has changed the way I view the act of writing. In my mind's eye, I see a seemingly infinite amount of books. I see a library more vast than the observable universe. Every book ever created now and forever are there to check out with a library card. We were all born with that card. It's our imagination. With it, we can discover anything and everything. Try if for yourself. You'll be surprised at what you find.

Discussion:

What do you think about the library? Had you heard of it before this post? What do you think it means for creative works? Do we truly create or do we make discoveries? Leave a comment with your thoughts. 

Finding Time To Write

Ok so this post doesn't break any new ground but I wanted to address a very common problem for writers, including myself, and that is finding time to write.

My dream would be to have all day, every day to just write. Maybe go for a walk after lunch to get some inspiration for more writing. But the reality doesn't match the fantasy. In the real world we have day jobs and/or many other responsibilities and commitments. And for some of us, like me, when you add kids to the mix you're available time for writing dwindles so much it's almost non-existent. But we tend to make time for the things that are important to us. And as a writer, writing is very important.

So how do we make the time? The best way I’ve found is to make a scheduled time to write and stick to it as much as possible. If you have a very full calendar everyday, look for ways to win back time by reducing or eliminating non-essential tasks. There may be some things that are wants and not necessarily needs. For example, if you have a habit of watching T.V. at night or going out with friends, then trading those activities for writing time at least a couple of nights each week would be a great way to gain more time to write.

But if you don't have anything on your to-do list that can be eliminated, another trick you can use is writing in short bursts. Ideally we all want to have a few hours each day of uninterrupted writing time but when this isn't an option even writing a sentence here or there can help to get some words on paper. I keep a pen and a notebook handy for those times when I have even just 5 or ten minutes to get some words out. This way I don't lose time getting my laptop out and waiting for it to boot up.

So our takeaway is that finding time to write is seldom easy but if we are vigilant we can find holes in our schedule that we can fill with writing. Remember that getting some words out is better than none at all. Writing is a journey and we should all enjoy it. Take care!

Analysis Paralysis And What To Do About It

I've given so much thought as to what my blog should focus on, that I'm afraid I may have crossed over into analysis paralysis. If you're unfamiliar with this term, I'm sure you're not unfamiliar with the effects of it.

Analysis paralysis is the term for the condition where you overthink things and get stuck in the planning stage of a project and never take action on it. It's possible to be stuck like this for a very long time. It's not uncommon for people to be frozen in place by analysis paralysis for years. Some people may never come out of it. I recently read an article about analysis paralysis, that recounted an extreme example of it. A man had an idea for a book he wanted to write. He exhaustively researched for this book but it was never quite enough. He always felt that he still needed to know more. In fact,he spent 20 years just dong research. Sadly, he passed away without ever having written his book. He obsessed over thinking he just needed to know a little bit more about the subject, even though he knew more about it than just about anyone else!

"Real artists ship."

-Steve Jobs

So what can we do to avoid being stuck in analysis paralysis, or even worse, get unstuck from it? Often times, our hesitation comes from fear. This is a normal reaction to being judged. Anytime we do anything creative and put it out into the world, we will be judged. This isn't necessarily a negative thing. Some people will love and appreciate the work you did(and that's awesome!), and some people will not like it(or even hate it), and that's ok too. But even knowing this, fear is a powerful emotion. It serves to protect us from harm. If we don't share our creation with the world, then our psyche can't be harmed by harsh criticism. But at the same time, we fail to encourage, enrich, or inspire others through our work. 

Fear is something that will never go away. It may diminish, but will never entirely disappear. One good way to manage fear is to have a support system of like-minded people to encourage you and push you to be your best. Without it, failing to deliver your creations to the world becomes too easy. Enlist friends and family, search social media groups or comment on blogs that interest you. The point is, get a system that works for you and gives you the courage you need to deliver!

What Do You Think?

Have you ever been stuck in analysis paralysis? If you pushed past it, how did you do it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

A Writer's Tale

I am a writer. I suppose I have always been, even with my tendency to resist labeling myself as such.

For me, everything always comes back to writing. If I'm not writing, then I'm thinking about writing. Which, sadly, happens more often than I would like.

When I'm not writing, there is a voice in my head that says, "Why are you not writing? You should be writing." This is the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is more powerful than we realize. While the conscious mind is busy with making decisions to get through the day, the subconscious mind can analyze data and conclude things our conscious minds may not see. I've decided to start listening to my subconscious.

The Blogging Project

I have always heard that blogging is a way to get ideas out of your head onto the page, or more accurately, screen. Capturing your ideas is the important thing. This is great because it serves as a creative outlet. Humans are creative beings and I believe that when we create, it gives us a sense of satisfaction and makes us feel complete.

A blog is also a place to help other people through your writing. Sharing experiences that your readers can identify with is one great way to do this. Another is to write tutorials on how to accomplish certain tasks and sharing your expertise.

So for these reasons, starting a blog appeals to me and I have been toying around with the idea for the past couple of years. I even purchased a domain and hosting a little over a year ago to start a blog. I even managed to write a post or two but didn't get much further. What happened? I guess I gave up. The problem is I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my blog. Another reason my blog failed is because I was trying to do it all on my own. I had no support system. And we all know how important a support system is to success.

Enter The Live Your Legend Start A Blog Challenge

I'm not entirely new to the LYL community. I was introduced to Scott Dinsmore through other blogs that I subscribe to and read on a fairly regular basis. Like many others, I was inspired by Scott's  message. But I was still confused on how to start.

Then a few weeks ago, I received an email from Chelsea Dinsmore about the 2016  Live Your Legend Start A Blog Challenge and everything changed. Her words of encouragement helped me push past the fears that were holding me back and finally take action. The SAB Challenge is great because it gets you going. The writing prompts take away one of the barriers of writing and that is the question, "What do I write about?". This way, I'm free to focus on writing. I believe the Challenge will also help me succeed by connecting me to a community of fellow creatives. Trying to do it all alone was probably the biggest mistake that caused my blog to fail. Having a support group and a community to grow from is imperative to success. I'm super excited to join the community and give back as least as much as I receive!