We cannot go back to the blissful ignorance of our childhood, but through training and daring, we can become re-enchanted with life.  There’s no reason to stop questing; the magic comes from walking the road, not reaching the end.

Logical understanding must accompany writing for clarity’s sake, but that’s only a start.  That’s bare minimum stuff—to set the reader up to launch into outer space.

Real writing must transport the reader.  Real writing requires that feelings drip from it like ambrosia.

Ingenuity may be able to cut the requirement for practice, and creative streamlining should be actively pursued, but the plain fact remains:  Practice is inevitable.  

IMHO, best to embrace that fact now rather than get smacked by it in a future filled with “If only”s and “I should have”s.

Many are like me; their talents aren’t strong enough to give them a free pass.  So in order to stand with the greats, my emphasis must be on improving faster than the norm.  While some might consider this a function of effort alone, I disagree; improvement is a function of creativity and openness—being willing to set aside personal preference in order to become what is necessary.  Effort is nothing but a prerequisite.

I find that an organic peace of mind arises from daily discipline and doing what you know to be right (at the time), and then realizing that the outcome is not up to you, but that you still did what you were capable of.

Our limited power over existence is a clue that we must relinquish attachment to outcome, yet still drive ourselves to do better.

In writing, a bit of filler is usually essential.  But instead of drudging through it, a lot of times I let my mind drift, and I find that I can throw in unexpected significance, transforming it from “filler” into something I’m excited about.  The key is to be open to possibility, and not focus on just telling your story, but fully inhabiting it.  

I think that can apply to all of life.

It’s essential to be dragged into your story when you draft it—to wallow in unrestrained wonder.  After it’s finished, the painful process of editing begins.  Seeing it with an objective eye you think, “How did this ever entrance me?  It’s barely understandable.”  And as you edit and edit and edit, you slowly see the original magic in it, and at that point you have forged it so that it doesn’t just enchant the author, but the audience as well.

Set aside for a moment those dazzling pictures, those graceful strains of music, those luminous quotes.  Underneath all of them is something beyond words, beyond thought even.  And while we may hang our hopes for deliverance on wise sayings or works of art, it is that ineffable [presence-energy-indescribability] beneath them that will never fade in clarity.  

THAT is what gives us inspiration and transcendence; the outer shell is just a pretty cover for it.

Apply creativity in speaking better, in moving faster, in accomplishing more; creativity has made weapons, it has made shelter, it has made clothes, foods, works of horror and wonder—creativity is more than some fancy, uplifting buzzword.  

Creativity—at its core—is the key that unlocks existence.