FIND SOMETHING! by Donna M. Cramer
- ann615
- Sep 25
- 2 min read
I write because I want to help others and share my ideas. Yet, I also write because I feel better when doing so. I am never more present or in the moment than when I am writing. When I am writing, I feel strong, focused, and happy.
If I miss my writing time for several days, I feel a change. It is easy for me to slip into ruminations about the past or the future. The past for me can be filled with self-doubt, awkwardness, judgment, and regrets. The future, especially these days, can be a scary place filled with all those things that I do not want to happen.
My writing world is safe, quiet, and peaceful. When I am building a plot line, developing characters, or revising dialogue, I am not focusing on myself but instead am lost in a world that I ultimately control.
Since my brain injury, I have become more of a planner than ever before. It steadies my perspective if I know what will come next. Building a novel involves non-stop planning from the start, from an incipient idea to the final edits. Planning and plotting my stories is good.
Planning long-term in my personal life can lead to too many what-ifs: what if it all goes bad, what if it all goes away, and I end up homeless, hungry, naked, and alone. Okay, that’s a dark rabbit hole! But planning farther into the future can become filled with the stuff that nightmares are made of.
Writing and planning out a world that I build and ultimately control calms me and quiets the beast that lurks sometimes quietly, sometimes more loudly in my mind.
Everyone needs to find something that helps them stay present and gives them control in a world that frankly too often feels as if it is spinning out of control. It may not be writing for you. It could be something else. Whether you're walking, reading, or playing with a pet, find something that helps you stay present and makes you feel good. If we feel good and have efficacy in this world, then we can make everything so much better.
Writing is what keeps me present. Find something that keeps you present, and we will all be better for it.
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