My Top 5 Book Writing Tips from the Jungle
The top 5 creative exercises and routines I've discovered to get creativity flowing...
Stories & poems have brewed and bubbled up in me for years upon years.
I’ve found there are certain things - conditions - that help me write and I want to share with you my top 5 book writing tips that have helped me write, here, where I live, in the Jungle of Central America, better than ever before.
My top 5 book writing tips are a collection of the best habits I’ve discovered over more than 20 years.
These habits are the opposite of anything you might have heard about artists needing to find creative energy from struggle. Creative energy can come from deeply resourcing and healing places, and that - obviously - is a lot more healthy than the other way around.
Plus - I’m so happy to announce that my jungle arts sanctuary, Apothefinca, the beautiful wild home I live at, is now open for creators, entrepreneurs, writers, artists - anyone who has a project that needs time out from your everyday to be worked on. I’ll be hosting a maximum of 2 people at a time who have work that needs to be done and together, here in the jungle (safe and sound and comfortable), we will get our work out into the world.
You can find more about artist & writers residencies here - space available now! https://www.apothefinca.com/retreat
And Here Are My Top 5 Book Writing Tips :
(which will also work for any creative project that needs incubation, bright sparks of inspiration, energy and flow)
Wild Inspiration: Nature and the feeling of wild space and great horizon opens something up in me that fuels my imagination and creative thinking. I live in the countryside so I’m surrounded by views and sounds of nature that have resourced and supported my writing. Nature is often my starting point at the beginning of a day, especially if I’m stuck or need to find my way ‘in’. I look out my window and I write about the guarachilla wren whose building her nest in the lime tree; or the fireflies who flare to life with the first rain or the way the wind buffets me and makes me feel crazed. I write about whatever is happening in the environment directly around me (Not far away - it’s important to be connected to what’s actually around you, in sight or sound) because something in nature is always new and different and it connects me to the here and now, to wild space, to something greater than me and my mind opens and creativity flows.
All you need to do is get your computer or a journal and let your eyes drift outside and your ears open to the sounds around you and choose something to write about from what your senses bring you. Begin describing colours, sights, sounds, the season, and then segue (‘Segway’ - I just discovered it was spelled ‘segue’ right now!) to what it makes you think or feel in your life, or as related to the idea you’re working on.
Movement: If you’ve known me for a little while you know I love to move. I became a yoga teacher when I was twenty and from there I grew to love chi gong, dancing, surfing, aerial silks, hiking… Movement helps me get my fidgeting out so I can sit and centre myself. If you come and stay at Apothefinca light movement most days is on the menu in order to get centred, healthy and be able to sit and focus.
A Pot of Tea: Green tea is my comfort and gentle wake up drink. I have created a daily ritual around tea which helps me open up and settle in to working. Check out my recent post with my red tea pot. Click here to have a guided tour with me and my red tea pot of my studio.
Strangely (to me) not all people like hot drinks! my x husband and my sisters husband detest hot drinks ! So. If you are one of these people this is obviously not for you. However if, like me, you enjoy a beautiful herbal tea or a coffee (with blended coconut oil and medicinal mushroom powder for extra health!) I think this is a beautiful way to make something special for yourself to enjoy as you work and a good creative routine that will support you.
Connecting to Your Project Meditation:
This is one of the best things…
Here’s what you’re going to do if you choose to try this idea. You’re going to bring your project to mind and then sit or lie down as though to meditate but rather than clearing your mind you’re just going to relax and then intentionally connect to your work. Let your project tell you what it wants you to know. Be open. With a spacious and attentive mind (but try not to focus hard - the point of this is to relax and let ideas come to you, not for you to go chasing ideas). Rest in this way of connecting for about 10 - 20 minutes and let the wisdom come. Doing this you’ll give yourself much needed rest and discover beautiful surprises about what your project is needing and wanting. I’ve found this to be the best way to work through places I’m stuck. I’ve been amazed many many times by the ideas that land in my mind doing this.
De-structure/Defy/Don’t Do’s…. : My routine has evolved out of many attempts to follow others good advice discovering what does and doesn’t work for me. I don’t subscribe to forcing myself to write a certain number of words each day or setting a timer. A daily word count absolutely KILLS my creativity. I get locked in to a really boring version of myself and write bad stuff when I do that. It’s not for me. I’m not saying don’t do that. I’m saying do what works for you and helps you access your best stuff. Finding your own voice, writing from a place where the ideas that bubble up are uniquely extraordinarily yours - that’s what you need to figure out and create your routine around. So only do what other people tell you to do if it works for you! DON’T take others advice if it doesn’t work for you - this is super duper extra-ordinarily important - because - the wrong advice or the wrong structure imposed upon you can have you stuck and packing in your project and make you think you just can’t do it.
How do you know what advice to take? What TO DO? This is a big topic and one I love to explore … firstly, try the things I’ve suggested in this post and if there’s something missing, or more resources you’re wanting, drop me a message and we will brain storm !
Writing is woven into my every day as I work towards completing my book, ‘The Home Tree’ (stories about my life and the wild peace of the jungle I’m surrounded by along with mythical characters who dole out sage advice).
I write in the jungle in my rooftop studio. I write in this (this very place I’m writing, right now!) place I created to be a wild arts farm for me, for my children and for artists, creators, entrepreneurs, soul singers and nature loving people.
With Love,
Lucy
p.s. Calling artists, writers, people with seeds of a creative idea who need time and focus, entrepreneurs who need to get a business plan birthed, and others who need quiet rejuvenating time to get the work done to come and join me here at Apothefinca. https://www.apothefinca.com/retreat
p.p.s. If you’d like to find out more send me a message :