The creative process for producing any kind of art is both magical and messy.
It doesn’t matter whether you paint, draw, play an instrument or write, your art will sometimes surprise and delight you and other times it will cause mess, confusion and creative suffering.
Magical and messy moments for a writer usually occur on a laptop screen, a sheet of paper or in their head.
I used to actively avoid messy writing moments. As a fresh-faced and energetic newbie writer I would shelve a story at the first sign of mess and start again with a shiny new one. For me writing was all about the magical writing moments. Sigh – the things we do when we are busy chasing perfection!
Magical writing moments are great, although at times they can feel elusive. These golden moments where we feel on top of our writing game or on the receiving end of some glowing praise give us a much-needed boost and can lead to increased productivity levels.
Last year I came across the Buddhist quote saying; ‘no mud, no lotus’.
The beautiful lotus grows out from the muck and mud at the bottom of the water.
Without the muck there is no lotus.
Does this apply to writing?
Do beautiful things come out of creative mess?
This got me thinking. For noting I blame this quote for my decision to start embracing messy writing moments.
After quite a few messy writing moments this year I have come to the conclusion that they are just as important as magical moments.
When I talk about messy writing moments I am referring to situations like:
- Doing a serious amount of cringing whilst writing your first draft.
- Falling down a gigantic plot hole, which you never saw coming.
- Reading your draft and realising it reads nothing like the best seller in your head.
- Having no clue whatsoever about where your creative muse is taking you with your story.
- Discovering a problem with a character or your plot.
- Chucking your draft in the waste paper bin because it is a big pile of literary wrongs and then returning to it a few hours later, tear stained and clutching a large glass of wine.
We need messy writing moments just as much as we do magical moments. The first draft of a story needs to be a mess for a bit because it means our mind is being kept open.
Messy writing moments are a sign our curiosity needs to spring into action and force us to dig a little deeper.
Literary success doesn’t happen as a lightning bolt that hits us in our sleep. Rather, it happens through a series of setbacks and failures and messy writing moments that ultimately lead to something great.
I love Anne Lamott’s quote in Bird by bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life:
Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend. What people somehow forget to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here.
Do we need to make a creative mess in order to find ourselves?
Lately I have started enjoying my messy writing moments. All hell has broken loose on the pages of my current first draft and I have not fought it or ran away. Instead I have allowed it stay a mess (I ignored the facial twitches and hives) and gently leaned into that…panic stricken feeling of ‘WTF am I writing?’
I am pleased to say a few positive things have arisen out of my messy writing moments. These have been a little bit special. The feeling you get after creating something out of mess is amazing.
So the next time you are in the middle of messy writing moment, embrace it and let it happen.
Never thought I would say this but bring on the mess!
Have a fabulous day.
photo credit: oneroadlucky N05/30839361454″>pink lotus via photopin (license)
I agree. Bring on the mess! Very little worth writing comes out perfect the first time.
Yes – agree. Happy Monday 😎🌸
No mud, no lotus. Love that! And I agree, making a mess is a huge part of the creative process – it’s when you take the time to refine and shape the mess that the true story emerges 😊 Happy Monday to you, Lucy! xx
Happy Messy Moments Helen 😊🌸💁🏼
And the same to you, Lucy! xx
Thanks for the encouragement … Great piece .. 🙂
Thank you for reading – happy Monday 😎
Oh Lucy so true! And I LOVE your mud and Lotus comparison! Here’s to messy moments filled with magical surprises!
Yes!! Happy Messy Moments to you Ritu 😎🌈🌸
Thanks Lucy! I am forseeing many of them in the summer!!!
Yay!!! I am making a right mess with my first draft at the moment. Been up since 6am rolling around in creative muck 😂
😂😂😂 hope you’ve enjoued your May Morning Mudbath lol!!! May you emerge Lotus-like!!!
A very timely post – not for writer-me but for musician-me. Writer-me is more or less comfortable with the idea that early drafts (and even later ones) are rubbish, but musician-me is currently unable to see beyond the mess. I shall start thinking of practice sessions as first drafts and editing. That should get me through. Thank you for helping me to see it in a new way.
Thank you for reading April – happy Monday to you and happy Messy Moments 🌸
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
According to my family, I have a degree in making a mess. As you can’t make an omelette without smashing eggs, I don’t think the creative spark lives anywhere else! Loving the ‘no mud, no lotus!’
This is why I struggle! I’m constantly tidying the kids mess at home so I’m not leaving enough energy for making my own messes, about time I leave those other messes, they are less important 😀 😀
I have given up tidying up after my two lol! Just going to sit and make creative mess whilst my loved one eye rolls me. Thx for reading and happy Monday 💁🏼😎
Enjoy it 🙂 I’m hoping to make loads of mess today, it’s all in my head anyway.
Brilliant post! I love the messy bit of writing. My notebooks are packed full of it, but once I’ve exhausted the mess I’m able to sit at the laptop and turn it into a lotus flower!! 😊
Yes!! A big shout out to all lotus flowers out there today – sigh!
No mud, no lotus. Love that! Also timely for myself: I seem to be writing a lot of mud and not a lotus in sight. Not yet, anyway. Great post.
Arrr thx Steve 😎
“and gently leaned into that…panic stricken feeling of ‘WTF am I writing?’ ” bahahahahahaha you crack me up, beautiful! I love this post. And that quote is a great one. Thank you! Hugs xxx
Arrr thx my fav Instagram pal – happy Monday 💕🌈🦄
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.
That’s the phrase I was looking for ‘Messy Writing’!
Start. Keep on. Never Mind. Worry about the details afterwards. Finish. It’s the only way.
And then re-write.
Yes Roger! 💪🏼 Good comment
Thanks for this – I’m wallowing in mud at the moment!
Thanks for reading – me too!
Great post Lucy!
Such a neat point to make. Everyone loves the “no mud, no lotus” phrase: me too. I have just realised I have filled at least four notebooks with messy notes that I might never read again. Time for me to piss or get off the pot!
Thx for reading! Good luck with those four notebooks!
Reblogged this on Words Can Inspire the World.
Thank you 🌸
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
Thank you 🌸
My pleasure! 😀
Love the last one about the draft. I can relate to that. Great blog posts as ever. Thanks.
Great post! It’s kind of like cleaning out your closet- you have to pull everything out before you can clean and organize.
Yes very true! Thx for reading. I am just going to return to pulling everything out of my literary wardrobe! 👍🏻🙋🏼