Why it’s okay to drop the ball
Lessons for creating a daily writing practice that works
While wandering through a quaint New England general store last week — the type where you can buy licorice, aprons, puzzles, gardening books, and boxes of tea — in short, anything you need — I purchased something I absolutely don’t need: a set of juggling balls.
I don’t know how to juggle, and my hand-eye coordination is what you’d expect from someone who was always chosen last for sports teams as a kid. So, I turned to YouTube for help.
Happily, I stumbled on a how-to video that offered not only practical and helpful advice but also a philosophical perspective that I have applied to many areas of my life:
After effortlessly tossing three balls in a satisfying juggling cascade, the teacher, an encouraging and cheerful young woman said, “Most people think this is juggling.” Then she paused and added that actually, juggling entails dropping balls and picking them up even more than the ability to successfully toss and catch them.
That’s good news! Because I spend most of my juggling practice time on the floor retrieving balls from the floor. Which, when I think of it, is true of my writing life, too! While I aim for that elusive creative flow that involves a regular daily practice that leads to polished poems and stories that appear in books, blogs, and periodicals — in reality there is a lot of metaphorical dropping of balls, too. There are days when I get lost in emails and to-dos and don’t make it to the page. There are periods where all I get are rejections for the pieces I send out for publication. There are poems that seemed profound when I first committed words to stanzas, but that don’t stand up to a second or third reading.
But I just keep picking up those balls and tossing them again.
That’s because, as I say again and again in my Dreaming on the Page classes, and anytime I’m teaching writing or dreamwork, it’s about the process — not any predetermined goal or outcome.
Sure, it’s delightful when all the balls stay in the air. But when they don’t, just keep picking them up and trying again. That’s what being a writer — and a human — is all about.
Pick up a ball.
If you want to try juggling, here’s the video I referred to above: https://youtu.be/dCYDZDlcO6g
Keep the balls in the air, and your pen on the page.
If you want to develop a writing and/or a dreamwork practice that’s sustainable and inspiring, join an upcoming Dreaming on the Page Writing Circle on Zoom. We meet the first Tuesday of the Month from 11 am-2 pm US Eastern Time, and our first session is Tues. Nov. 1. CLICK HERE for information and to register.
Discover how connecting with your dreaming mind and the subconscious can supercharge your writing!
