Writing Daily

I bought a Reader’s Digest at a mall in Jogjakarta yesterday. You gotta love Reader’s Digest- pretty much the perfect bathroom reading companion. . .  full of short interesting articles, pictures, jokes, and just short enough to stimulate your mind in under ten minutes.

I read this little Bright Ideas section of how to stimulate your brain during the day. One thing it suggested was “write three pages- in longhand- first thing every morning about whatever comes to mind, no second-guessing, no editing.” I thought about that for a bit and think it’s a really brilliant idea. Perhaps not writing three pages in long-hand every day, but just getting in the habit of writing (or blogging) whatever’s on my mind with limited or no editing. Of all people, I appreciate the idea of NO-EDITING, no revising. I’ve written long hand in my journals for many many years, ever since I was 14 years old. Writing with pen and paper is still my preferred way to write. There’s just something so personal about it that computers and keyboards aren’t able to replicate. It has my handwriting style, so you know it’s from me, and because it’s pen on paper it comes right from the heart. It isn’t touched up or refined, but rather raw emotion and thought. So it carries more meaning for me. My journals have chronicled my life and are some of my most treasured possessions. . .

But anyway, is it possible to carry the raw story of handwriting over to something like a blog? This is something that I’ve wrestled with. How do I be transparent and free flowing with my thoughts yet carry the depth of a handwritten entry? I’m not sure. Like I said, it’s something I’ve been trying to figure out. But perhaps the secret, like the Reader’s Digest article suggested, is to do it daily, repetitiously, without editing.