On Writing: Visualize Your Writing Success

I was one of those children who know early on whatgratefully accept my gifts and talents.
they want to be "when they grow up."Each evening before I fall asleep, I close my eyes and
"I'm going to be a writer," I told my parents. "I'm going tolet myself be successful, productive and filled with joy.
write books," I said to my teacher. When they stoppedAs I feel the joy, I experience a lightness and feel a
laughing, I took my secret dream and buried it. But I didbuzzing around me. I let the feeling flow over me until I
know who I was and who I was going to be, so finally Iam operating at this level of vibration, awash in positive
started writing despite the expectation of ridicule. I wasenergy and feelings. My specific visualization changes
35.based on the projects I'm working on. One night I might
Each time I wrote, I agonized over what to say. Ivisualize myself walking into my office, smiling and
fretted over the quality of my work, and feltenergetic. I am thrilled at the ideas that flow from my
inadequate even before the letter of rejection arrived.center, and start researching markets to sell these
Six months or more would pass between onearticles to. I see myself writing winning query letters
submitted piece and the next, while I tried to overcomeand manuscripts. I think about spending my paychecks
the embarrassment and shame I felt at each rejection.on something special: flowers to plant, new hiking
Ten years later, I make my living as a writer. I writeshoes for me and my husband, a donation to the food
something every day, and have a 75 percentpantry.
acceptance rate for my queries, short stories andAfter a few practice sessions, any writer can benefit
articles. I publish two ezines for other writers and havefrom this tool by:
multiple books on food writing and writing for sale.- Finding a quiet place.
What happened in those ten years to change my- Thinking of the happiest moment in your life and
writing process? Many things, but it wasn't until recentlyallowing yourself to relive the happiness you felt at that
that I started creating and selling my writing regularly.time.
What did I do?- Imagining yourself getting lighter. One way to do this
I visualized my writing success.is to visualize yourself in an elevator. Get in on the first
It sounds simple, but it's hard to put into practice whenfloor, then move up, floor by floor until you notice a
you are filled with self-doubt. My first breakthrough"buzzing" feeling.
came after reading The Artist's Way by Julia- Once there, start the visualizations of your writing
Cameron. One step to personal fulfillment shesuccess. Remember the good, happy feeling. This is
suggests is writing "morning pages." Start each day bythe feeling you want to continue throughout the day as
sitting down with a notebook and pen. Write threeyou turn your visualizations into reality.
pages of whatever comes out. Write without planning,The next step is to create that positive feeling by
editing or thinking. These three garbled pages are mytalking to yourself about where you intend to be, not
data dump. I write about my many worries: the highjust tomorrow morning, but in a year from now: "I'm so
price of gas, my weight, my cat's limp, rejection letters,happy that my new novel is being published this week.
the snow storm on its way, losing my job, obnoxiousI thought the interview I gave last week was
people.productive. My second novel is nearly finished." Despite
Once the three pages are done, I let go of thethe fact that none of this has yet manifested, keep
mundane and clear the way for the extraordinary totalking to yourself (or journaling) about it as if it is
flow from my mind and my finger tips.happening now. Truly see yourself in these positions -
But that was only a start for me. It did clear away mysigning books, giving interviews on CNN, and preparing
insecurities but only temporarily. Throughout the daya second manuscript for your editor.
those self-doubts would sneak back. As I lay in bedKeep practicing, knowing that you will find yourself
each night I was haunted by my mistakes, my sloppywriting and selling more. You will become more
syntax, the very idea that I thought I could submit acreative and better able to overcome the obstacles
short story to a writing contest, and why couldn't Iyou've placed between you and your writing success.
produce like the other writers I knew did.When you start to head down the "I'm a loser" road,
I had to find something that would fill my mind andstop yourself and redirect your feelings by beginning a
heart after the crud was written out each morning. Inew visualization about how wonderful your work is,
changed my evening ritual of worrying andand how many people have benefited from your
self-recrimination to one of visualization and raising mywriting.
"vibration." I've had this explained to me two ways: weFor great, easy to understand teaching on positive
are all just energy and we can operate at a lowfeeling and raising vibrations, read "Excuse Me, Your
vibration and negative energy, or at a high vibration andLife is Waiting," by Lynn Grabhorn.
positive energy. Alternatively, we can raise ourDay by day, I am manifesting my dream. Since starting
vibration and connect with God, the Source, the Divinemy visualization practice, I have begun writing every
or the Creator - choose your own name for it. Theday. In fact, I often squeeze in extra writing throughout
Creator is the place from where all creativity comes. Ithe day, enjoying the happiness that flows in and out
learned to tap into that feeling of joy and began toof me as I write.