17. Tell your truth not the world's

Since being afflicted by a severe case of writer's block in the past couple weeks (I blame all the cover letter and résumé writing for sucking the creative life out of me), I have tried free writing to get my thoughts flowing, reading to get inspired, and locking myself down at my computer with great intentions only to find myself lost in the world of other blogs and facebook photos (I bet you have no idea what I'm talking about).  I thought I was a hopeless case until I came across an old notebook filled with thesis notes and ideas that had consumed me exactly a year ago.  

Amidst all the poems and quotes I had scattered throughout those pages, I found some notes about an interview with Erica Jong, author of the book Fear of Flying.  Have you perhaps heard of the scholarly term "the zipless fuck"?  Yeah, Erica doesn't mess around—one of the many reasons why I love her.  And if you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor: buy it, read it, and maybe even swallow it whole.  

But anyway, in that notebook, I had copied down the following, as if I knew that I would need to read it again and again in future "ahhhh-I'm-in-the-middle-of-a-writing-crisis" moments.  So then, here you have it:

ERICA'S 20 "RULES" for WRITERS 

1. Have faith—not cynicism

2. Dare to dream

3. Take your mind off publication

4. Write for joy

5. Get the reader to turn the page

6. Forget politics (let your real politics shine through)

7. Forget intellect

8. Forget ego

9. Be a beginner

10. Accept change

11. Don't think your mind needs altering

12. Don't expect approval for telling the truth

13. Use everything

14. Remember that writing is heroism

15. Let sex (the body, the physical world) in!

16. Forget critics

17. Tell your truth not the world's

18. Remember to be earth-bound

19. Remember to be wild!

20. Write for the child (in yourself and others)

                –And most of all, remember that there are NO RULES.

I could go on and on and dissect each point to death, especially those that leave me nodding enthusiastically in agreement, but I think that would defeat their overall purpose.  Ultimately, writing should be whatever you want it to be.  Organizing words on a page (or on a screen) can become your own personal ceremony to honor your thoughts, your dreams, and your beliefs.  Writing for the love of writing.  And for the love of yourself.  That's where the beauty in it lies, and ironically, what I had forgotten.   

Sometimes a healthy reminder of what's important to me is just what I need to kick myself back into motion again.  Hmmm. . . Maybe I'll make my new mantra: do it (or write it) if it feels good.  My brother did always say that I had a lot of hippie in me.