The Art Of Writing

There is a lot to be said - for not having anything to say.

Maybe my brain is just tapped out today. That is certainly possible. Maybe I'm just not in the "writing zone".  That is also a fair possibility. In all reality, right now I may not even be able to tell you what zip code the "writing zone" is in.That's how bad it can get.

In a perfect world, I like to write every 2 or 3 or 4 days. That is certainly dependent upon "life" and time and schedules and all the stuff we all wrestle on a daily basis. It's not a rigid schedule, and I don't live any die by whether I write anything earth-shattering or not. I remind myself that I can always do like most major media writers and pen something on Sarah Palin - oh wait, I've tried that a few times already - or some other noteworthy (or not-so-noteworthy) personality in the news.

Creativity finds us in strange times and places. It doesn't care to arrive at times that are convenient. It is opportunistic and happens when you least expect it. There goes a writing schedule - out the window, into the stillness of the night.

Much as we all struggle with the push and pull of our worlds, I should probably just acknowledge this struggle unto it's own, like any other - and just "let go". It is "being" - it is the "Zen of writing". It is "as it is". It can't be forced, because when it is, it pushes back at you with even more force. As I always try to remind myself, the universe will provide ... and when we let life happen, good things prevail upon us. 

It's really quite a similar premise to Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War" . This is a book that I have been slowly digesting and absorbing over a number of months. Much is simply knowing when to push forward, and knowing when to retreat. There is a time for both. There is also an art to making that decision. Of equal importance is knowing yourself and your enemy (be that from a military perspective, a business perspective, or any other potential adversarial situation):

So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will fight without danger in battles.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.

Maybe there really is an "art of writing", but not in the stylistic sense. It's not about verb tense and the like - it's about knowing when to write, and when not ... when to push forward, and when to fall back ...

Funny how life is like that.