It doesn't matter whether you call yourself a writer. It doesn't matter whether you know you have books or poems or screenplays to write, whether you know you have stories to tell.

What matters is that you find an outlet to express what you're feeling. What matters is that you use all the means available to you to explore how these unprecedented times are affecting you. What matters is that you open your heart to the inner wisdom that will help guide you through and past the fear, that will help you avoid the apocalyptic panic that is so prevalent right now.

Of course, writing isn't the only potent tool available to you for self-expression, but it's one of the easiest to access. It requires no skills other than those we learned in grade school. Nor does it require any specialized knowledge or special equipment. All it requires is time, something many of us suddenly find ourselves having too much of.

If you have long had a passion for writing, now is the time to view this sudden surfeit of time as a gift and to either use it to write the stories you have so long avoided or to dive more deeply into those you have only dabbled in because life has been too busy.

You don't see yourself as a writer? Start a journal or spend more time with your existing journal.

Regardless, leave the outside world behind for a stretch...even if it's for only twenty minutes. Leave the outside world behind and immerse yourself in the inner one. Your inner one. Write not only what you think you know and feel. Write to discover what you know and feel. Write to discover the only truth that will see you through these times: the truth that resides in your heart

Now, more than ever, it's time to write.

Time to Write

The following excerpt from my book “The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write” felt particularly appropriate for the times...

Now is the time to write. Now is the time to pick up your pen and touch its tip to your blank page. Now is the time to set that flashing cursor to work filling your empty screen.

See the words take shape out of nothingness.

Watch the once-paralyzing void vanish in a flood of words, thoughts and images

Whatever yearns to find its way onto the page will do so if you allow it the freedom to travel the shortest distance imaginable — from heart to hand to page.

Let your heart direct your hand.

What is it your heart cries out to express? What is it your heart has waited all these lifetimes to communicate, to share — first within you, then with others?

Close your eyes. For just a moment, close your eyes to the outside world that so stresses you in these times. Close your eyes and train your ears inward.

There is a word, one word, that your heart would have you hear. A single, simple word.

It is the first word that leaps to mind as you open, as you listen, as you hear. Perhaps it seems like nonsense, an irrelevance. Perhaps it is a nothing word to you at this moment. Never mind. Now is the time to write, and now is the time to set that single, simple word onto the page.

The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write

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Do it.

There. Now your page is no longer empty, your screen no longer blank.

How does that feel?

Don’t tell me. Write it.

Write your feelings on the page. Begin a new sentence and write,

“I feel...” or “I fear...” or “I love...” or “I don’t know...” Whatever you’re feeling in this moment, commit it to paper. Commit to your writing. Commit to your emotions.

Do it. One sentence or one hundred. Place something on the page. Something. Anything.

Now, let one word lead to the next, then to another.

That’s all writing is — one word leading to the next, then to another. Then to another. And another.

And when you think you’re done, stop thinking and keep writing. Just for a while longer, just to be sure you’re not allowing some part of yourself to censor you or your words.

Continuing past your first inclination to stop ensures that your work, not your fear, is in charge, that your heart, not your mind, is directing your writing. Continuing past your first inclination to stop may carry you to the true guts of your writing, whatever it is.

Sometimes completion is completion. Yet sometimes the end we feel we have reached is the end of our comfort zone. So we stop. Don't stop.

Go the extra distance. See where it takes you. See how it makes you feel. Trust that your words will always carry you where you need to go. They will if you let them. They will if you let yourself. They will if you surrender to the wisdom of your heart, which is the wisdom of your art.

Let's Get You Writing!

Now that you have the time, let's get you writing! What follows is an expanded and updated version of the writing resources I included in my last newsletter.. Here's a bunch of resources, some of them free, to get you writing...and keep you writing...even if y0u're not a writer!

Missed my FREE online writing workshop on March 21? Guess what? You didn't! Catch the video replay of Write in These Times any time through April 4 and as often as you want. And it's still free. Access it at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5372277990819867149.
My live weekly writing workshops continue. But starting in April they move to Saturdays at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Can't make it on Saturdays? No problem! Saturday workshops are rebroadcast on Sundays – at 11am, 5pm and 8pm PT / 2pm, 8pm and 11pm ET. Look for the full schedule, along with registration links, on the events page.
My final live Sunday workshop on 3/29 is perfect for those of you who have been writing all along and are ready to start honing and polishing your work — The Heartful Art of Revision: An Intuitive Approach to Editing.
Coming up Saturdays is a series of new workshops, including several aimed as much at non-writers as at writers. Among them are Write to Heal and Journal from the Heart. I am also repeating the ever-popular Birth Your Book NOW!, which is never the same from one offering to the next, so come on back if you've experienced it before! Again, look up the full schedule, along with registration links, on the events page.
My new Global Coaching Group for Writers starts up in less than a week, and it's the perfect opportunity to get not only inspiration, motivation and solid professional guidance but the support of writers like yourself. Still on the fence about whether it's right for you? Drop me a line and let's talk about it. Space is VERY LIMITED, so register NOW at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1341947750086961932.

Prefer to maintain your social isolation? Here are some resources you can access on your own...

You'll find a ton of free videos, many of which will inspire you to write, on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/markdavidgerson.
All my books for writers and my two Way of the Fool books contain a ton of writing exercises, journaling opportunities and guided meditations. Even my novels and memoirs will inspire you to commit to your passions, whatever they are. You'll find all my books here on my website. But if you're seeking instant gratification, look for the less-expensive ebook editions in Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook and Kobo stores worldwide. Want to try before you buy? My page on the Bublish website gives you access to free excerpts from all my books.
And speaking of guided meditations for writers, my recording The Voice of the Muse: Guided Meditations for Writers has 10 of them. Stream the album for free if you're an Apple Music or Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber; otherwise, it's on sale here on my website.
Not ready for a group but not keen on DIY? Consider one-on-one coaching/mentoring. It's the best investment in your creative future that you're ever likely to make. Look for more information on the coaching page or drop me a line to set up a free 20-minute intro.

Bottom line? Now is the time to write (even if you're not a writer)!

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