Anna De Freitas

7/23/2019 How To (Overcome Procrastination And) Start Writing Upgrade Written Tales ABOUT POETRY FLASH FICTION NON FICTION SHORT STORY Only you can see this message This story is eligible to earn money through the Partner Program. It may be shown as part of the metered paywall. Learn more Photo by rawpixel from Pixabay How To (Overcome Procrastination And) Start Writing Anna DeFreitas, MD Jul 18 · 4 min read https://medium.com/written-tales/how-to-overcome-procrastination-and-start-writing-6ff17156b9e4 1/5 7/23/2019 How To (Overcome Procrastination And) Start Writing “Writing is easy: you start with a capital letter and end with a period. In-between you insert the Upgrade ideas” (Pablo Neruda, Chilean writer). As a writer, how can you deal with the “block phase”? Or as a beginner, how do you start writing? I have been writing my entire life. Placing the letters and words in a piece of paper helped to make Written Tales ABOUT POETRY FLASH FICTION NON FICTION SHORT STORY the learning subject real for me. Writing is a creative process, like creating a world. Religious sages say that what connects man with God is the ability to communicate and the talent to create, to build new things. “In the beginning was the word” (John 1:1). The word “abracadabra”, used by healers and magicians, means “I create as I speak”, or “I create like the word.” It was well-known that words have power to create reality. Some tips I have discovered in my life as a writer are based in the process of getting involved in the writing world, to make writing a daily habit, until you feel, “This is good, I need to share it.” 1. Start Writing This would be my first advice. Start something. Don’t wait until you are ready, or until your writing is perfect. Start writing. Some scientists have the habit to leave a notepad near their bed, in order to write new ideas they have during the night, or when waking up in the morning. Did you think about something? Write it. Have some themes for a novel, a book? Write them. Don’t let the words fade away. Even if they seem disconnected, write them on a piece of paper. Later you will have time to sit down and flesh out your concepts. 2. Write a Journal A journal is a good place to start registering your feelings, your ideas, and your opinions about daily occurrences. It is not something for teenagers only. Since a journal is something intended to be kept private, the ideas flow freely, with less auto-censorship. The habit of writing daily about life facts will permeate into your routine, becoming perfected with time. The secret to excelling in anything is practicing it, like that Nike advertising, “Just Do It”. The late Formula One pilot Ayrton Senna was considered the best pilot under rain. His trainer once shared his secret: in the beginning of his career Senna had enormous difficulty to drive in the rain. Then he started getting in the car and training every time it rained. In a few years he was the best pilot in rain conditions, and even today, twenty years after his death, he is a role model for many F1 racers, including English champion Lewis Hamilton. 3. Read. A Lot. The best way to get new ideas is to read good books. Try new and classic books on different subjects: poetry, science, religion, astronomy, political science, biographies. And the classics: Shakespeare, Homer, John Steinbeck, Jane Austen, Herman Melville, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and many others. Reading will transport you to new worlds, new dimensions of thought and experiences, where you can find inspiration to write. Bon voyage. 4. Interact with Other Writers It is a good idea to seek the company of other writers, who struggle with the same problems and challenges in the art of writing. You can go to literary meetings in your hometown or travel to writing association meetings. Try to join writers’ groups and associations online. The internet is a great way to bring together people with the same interests, and there are a lot of writers’ platforms and groups you can access online. 5. Take a Writing Course https://medium.com/written-tales/how-to-overcome-procrastination-and-start-writing-6ff17156b9e4 2/5 7/23/2019 How To (Overcome Procrastination And) Start Writing Distance learning platforms have shortened the gap between the teacher and the student. Through Upgrade the internet one can access a variety of courses from prestigious universities around the world. You can study courses in Creative Writing, Poetry, Scientific Writing, and so on. Coursera, Udemy, and many others have free ABOUT and paid courses in theFLASH art of writing, withFICTION financial aidSHORT available. It is POETRY FICTIONsomeNON STORY Written Tales worth a look. 6. Walk Exercise is good for our bodies, but it also promotes a potent effect on the brain. New research studies have shown that the foot’s impact during walking increases blood flow to the brain. Regular exercise improves memory and the thinking process. If you are stressed with your writing process, go for a walk. It also helps to relax, and the outdoor exercise may open your eyes for new subjects and themes to write about. 7. Meditate Last, but not least, it may be a good idea to learn meditation. The meditation process changes the brain waves and promotes a state of relaxation and peace. Some scientific studies have shown the health benefits of meditation. It can slow, stop, or reverse the aging effect in the brain. It can also affect the cerebral amygdala activity, the part of the brain involved in processing emotions. Meditation may help decreasing pain in fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and headaches. Some studies suggest that the practice of meditation releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved with reward-motivated behavior and social anxiety. Another study that incorporated PET scans observed an increase in dopamine levels during the practice of meditation. It also helps the body to release melatonin, a hormone involved with sleep and relaxation. . . . REFERENCES: 1. Krishnakumar, D., Hamblin, M. R., & Lakshmanan, S. Meditation and Yoga can Modulate Brain Mechanisms that affect Behavior and Anxiety- A Modern Scientific Perspective. (2015) Ancient science, 2 (1), 13–19. 2. Newberg AB, Iversen J. The Neural Basis of The Complex Mental Task of Meditation: Neurotransmitter and Neurochemical Considerations. (2003). Medical hypotheses. 61: 282–29. 3. Kjaer TW, Bertelsen C, Piccini P, Brooks D, Alving J, Lou HC. Increased Dopamine Tone During Meditation-Induced Change of Consciousness. (2002). Cognitive Brain Research. 13:-. Tooley GA, Armstrong SM, Norman TR, Sali A. Acute Increases in Night-Time Plasma Melatonin Levels Following a Period of Meditation. (2000). Biological Psychology. 53:69–78. Meditation Writing Tips Reading Writers Block Non ction 50 claps WRITTEN BY https://medium.com/written-tales/how-to-overcome-procrastination-and-start-writing-6ff17156b9e4 3/5 7/23/2019 How To (Overcome Procrastination And) Start Writing Anna DeFreitas, MD Upgrade Medical doctor, specialist in Health Law, published writer and researcher, with works on Medicine, Law, Neuroscience, ABOUT POETRY FLASH FICTION NON FICTION Written TalesBioethics, and Philosophy. SHORT STORY Written Tales Follow Helping writers and readers connect! [Accepting new Authors] We promote all forms of creative writing and cherish the freedom of speech, therefore we do not censor our writres. 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