Remember back in January when we talked about dream boards and Oprah? (Though honestly, y’all fixated more on the fact that I’d never seen an Oprah show than on the splendiferous dream board.)
Today, I remembered something else. To wit, that I’d share a little insight on various parts of the writing dream. So now it’s on to Part I, which I like to call “Patience is a Virtue.” (Though honestly, sometimes I call that part of the process “I Don’t Care What Anybody Says, I Want It Now.”)
So you can probably take a look at the Tibetan Buddhist monks, working on that mandala, and figure out that patience is hugely necessary to achieve results. Lots and lots of patience (and a lack of any allergies). And not just the patience to painstakingly create a masterpiece, but the patience to learn the craft involved. I don’t know all the facts about mandala-making, but I don’t suppose you can take a three hour mandala-making webinar and expect to produce something as intricate as what I saw come together that day.
And what I noticed, as the monks hunched down, carefully picking up a tool, thoughtfully choosing a color, is that there was not one moment–not a single moment–that was rushed. It was so very, very deliberate and purposeful. Nothing else seemed to matter except that little spot, and the proper placement of those colored grains of sand. There was a quality of the sacred in it, and I watched in respectful silence.
So my dream board reminds me to be patient; good things (like a masterpiece of words) come to those who wait. But it also reminds me to work purposefully, and not rush my dream. It will all come together in its own time.
(Though honestly, I really, really want it now.)
Cathy C. Hall Writes 
Oh man, I’m a dream board junkie. I’ve made a few dream boards for myself, one for my current WIP novel, and one for Creativity Diet (posted on my fridge, where else?) but I did not know about this Oprah thing. I’ll have to check it out. As for patience, it may be a virtue (even my hero Yoda advises patience…and control), but it is definitely NOT my super power.
Thanks for dropping in, Trisha! That Yoda was one wise, little dude. 😉
Apparently dream boards all over the place–and if y’all have a minute, take a peek at Trisha’s new site, Creativity Diet. The perfect challenge for us writerly (and sedentary) types!
Reading this post and looking at those monks, I envisioned you joining them. You sneezed and blew it all to…well, then you started laughing and couldn’t stop and…well, don’t stop writing. Your work is better than that mandala.
This is a great reminder – “work purposefully, and not rush the dream.” Part of the reason why I write stories in addition to novels, is because there is a more immediate sense of accomplishment, of gratification. The story still might take a month to write, but that seems like nothing compared to the year(s) a novel takes.
Oh, and I laughed out loud at Linda’s comment. 🙂
Oh, me, too, Madeline. And folks can say yea or nay to a story or article relatively quickly. Whereas with that novel…sigh. It’s just one (rewrite) thing after another. 😉
And I laughed out loud at Linda’s comment, too. Because seriously? I was SCARED TO DEATH that I would sneeze!
Did you write this post especially for me? It feels like you did ;), even though I know you didn’t. Apparently, from what I hear….the waiting never ends! Hey, now THERE’S good news, huh? *groan*. Shipoopi!
Oh, Kara, waiting is so HARD! But your good news will come when the right offer comes along. In the meantime, eat, drink and be merry. And start writing that next book! 😉