3 Zen Practices for Writers

THE ZEN OF WRITING, SIPPING COFFEE, AND MEDITATING

Photo by Scott Webb

1. When you write, just write; when you edit, just edit.

   Popular culture uses zen as a euphemism for cool, as in “the zen of writing, etc.” Used in this context, it’s meant to frame our best moments. I’m not saying that’s inappropriate, but here’s a better way to frame the concept: the zen of a thing is that thing, and that thing, only. In the spiritual sense, Zen is to see what’s real and not what isn’t… like a story we tell ourselves about the thing. For example, when you write, your mind doesn’t automatically cheer you on with positive thoughts like, “You’ve got this! Do some awesome writing, bro!” No, instead, it immediately floods your consciousness with questions about your worthiness, and if that weren’t enough, it also throws in some limiting ideas. “What? Are you going to try writing again? Remember that time when you wanted to write and just got blocked instead? Nah, bru….you’re no writer.” Sound familiar? In Zen, when we write, we write and only write. Whe…