Beginner’s Mind for Writing: How to Start Anything through Mindful Writing

Presenter: Alexandria Peary

Do you have something in you that wants to be written? It doesn’t matter what kind of writing—poem, novel, memoir, speech, newspaper article, or workplace document—you feel a tug to express. For many of us, beginning a new piece of writing can be daunting. How to bring this inchoate sensation to form and structure? We often waste time psyching ourselves up or fantasizing about the perfect final draft. This presentation helps you enter the present moment and begin writing that piece, maybe one you’ve been contemplating for years, within minutes. Every moment is perfect for writing: starting means entering an ongoing river of language. Among several techniques, we’ll practice moment tracking to jumpstart that dream project and embrace where it takes us. This presentation focuses on prewriting and invention, the earliest phases of writing, and welcomes verbal emptiness to develop equanimity.

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