Hello and thank you for visiting Waggish Writer.
This is the third blog post from a series of my journalist persona known as "A Matter of Mantra."
This post will talk about how the mantra listed in the title came into my life and how it helps me. My hope is that if this mantra resonates with you that you may use it to help live your life to the fullest.
WHERE DID MY MANTRA COME FROM
This mantra is actually the first one I created for myself. Kaye often encouraged me to get out of the mindset that has been holding me back as a creator. I would say that I often hold myself to high standards. An author, in my mind, has to be published by one of the big name publishers and be wide known in order to be an author.
What helped me out of my rut was looking back on my life and the things I had written. I completed a whole draft of a romance novel that I shared with my aunt when I was much younger. While I did attempt to revise the story when I reached college, I realized that where I was as a writer then did not match the writer that I wanted to be.
I had a poem published in a collection of poetry, on the first page of all places (see A Forgotten Victory blog post).
I wrote for the Washtenaw Voice several articles where one of them received an honorable mention (see Journalist and Washtenaw Voice Scrapbook) and blogged about my adventures in Peru during a study abroad class (see Journalist in the Guest Blog Contributions).
My past has many small victories in the world of writing that I did not give myself credit for writing.
When I decided to write a mantra to encourage myself as a creator, I drew inspiration from Bilbo Baggins' famous line from Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey": "I'm going on an adventure!"
I repurposed the thought process into my journey as a writer. Hence, "I am a Writer on an Adventure to Become an Author" organically formed itself into my life.
HOW MY MANTRA HELPS ME
This mantra helps me as a reminder that a writer is a journey, not a destination. There are spurts and stops. It has taken me a while, but I've come to realize that I am already an author. Each time I take the time to write a blog post, develop more of the ideas I have in mind, I am putting words down. I am creating a piece of literature. The size does not matter. What matters is I am letting the universe peer into my creativity. I am opening up my stories to them.
The best thing about this journey is that each piece written and shared with the universe is not the end of my journey. It is a rest point, a save point in my journey. I am always embarking on a new adventure. I jump between different ideas, but I am on the journey of a lifetime. It is a journey that I enjoy and will continue on as long as I can type and lift a pen.
No one works the same way, so I am not preaching this mantra to be a fool-proof method. It is a tool and option that is out there for those who struggle with their confidence and self-esteem. I am better, but I can always improve.
As a writer, I take time each time I journal to write "I am a Writer on an Adventure to Become an Author" five times. Write it. Talk it. Draw it. Tackle this mantra any way that gets the message across for yourself. Also, if you are an artist, musician, or any other creator, feel free to change 'Writer' into your chosen profession.
If the mantra has helped in any way or the story resonates and you feel comfortable in sharing, make a comment below or feel free to Contact Me if you want it private. We are the protagonists in our own stories. Let's swap tales of our unique adventures together.
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This is Waggish Writer signing off of this post. Stay tune for more in "A Matter of Mantra" series!
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