Create From A State Of Presence

I once heard Brandon Sanderson (author of The Way of Kings) tell aspiring writers that they should not think of their first novel as the product. Instead, he said, you should think of yourself as the product. His argument went something like this: The first book that you write won’t be good. No matter what you do. You don’t have enough skill to make it good yet. But each story that you write, makes you a better writer. And so, even if your first stories are not publishable, you can rest assured that you are becoming a better writer by writing them.

From Outcomes To Presence

Thinking of yourself as the product might sound strange, but it’s a good strategy because it shifts the focus from outcomes to process. I’ve also heard Sanderson say that his fiction writing course is not so much about having a publishable novel at the end. The course is really about cultivating good writing habits. In other words, the course doesn’t focus on outcomes, but rather on cultivating a habit of showing up consistently. I would take it one step further and say that we need to show up, not only consistently, but also with presence. Finishing a book takes many, many hours. If we are not present for those hours, what is the point?

Creative Work Is Not A Chore

We are in some sense indoctrinated into this idea that everything we do, should be a begrudging chore. We get told that if work is not gruelling, it is not real work. And so, over time, we start to believe that everything we do in life, is just something that must get done. When we approach life this way, we miss the point of being alive. When we live this way, we attempt to finish things quickly so that we might spend more time scrolling or watching TV. We want to be done with the challenge so that we might return to our slumber in front of our screens and social media.

But this is the worst approach we can have, especially for creative work. It takes us out of the present moment into a state of forceful doing. Or worse: a state of repetition and automation.

Nothing is more joyful than creative work—if we commit to being present. Why would we want to sleepwalk through something that is fun? When I write fiction, for instance, it is not just about writing sentences, or hitting my daily word count, or having a finished book. It is about world-building, interesting characters, great descriptions, conflict, and how I feel in the moment when I imagine being in that world. It is about the synchronicities I experience over the months when I write the book. The characters and world evolve over time. The story becomes something magical and almost tangible. There is great joy in that process—it should not be seen as a chore. We should not sleepwalk through that process. We should enjoy it.

Create From A State Of Presence

The rush to finish a creative project can drain the joy from the project. This is also true for future thinking and fixations on validation and monetary gains. Future thinking kills the joy in the present moment. It enforces a restless, needy state. The need for validation might even stem from those states.

The solution is to create from a state of presence. When we are present for each step, the chase falls away. When we are present, we reclaim the joy in the moment. We reclaim the delight of creating something. When we are present, we don’t need external validation to soothe our internal turmoil. We are just in curiosity, flow and enjoyment. That is the best state for fiction writing. And I would venture to say that it is the best state for doing good work in the world. If you can show up everyday and enjoy the process of creating something without attachments to outcomes, you win.