by Valarie Budayr

I’m not one for perfectionism because it just doesn’t exist.

I really love the journey of reworking my writing and ideas to see how they evolve. The most important tool in the organic writing process isn’t perfection but presence.

By being present, the art and craft of writing become less of a dirge and more of a joy. Notice how I said less of?  Listen, writing is just plain hard work but I love it. Writing has taken a place in my life where I just can not do it.

When I started writing for real, I realized I knew very little about actually writing. This is when I sent myself to a self-imposed school called “life.”

The first step I took was reading books about the writing process. Here are a few which grace my bookshelves still today:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Fruitflesh by Gayle Brandeis

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

On Writing by Stephen King

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown; This isn’t a book about writing so much as it\’s a book about accepting our imperfect selves. Great read !!!

Next, I reminded myself what English grammar looks like:

The Pen Commandments: A Guide for the Beginning Writer by Steven Frank

Eats, Shoots, & Leaves by Lynne Truss

And thirdly, in lieu of actual writer’s retreats, I decided to continue my love of lifelong learning. I started learning and experiencing things I had always wanted to try and then wrote about them. Not a traditional way to become a writer but one I\’m really enjoying. To give you some ideas, have a look at our second film in our series of Move, Learn, Eat.

The most important tool in the organic writing process isn’t perfection, but presence.-Valarie Budayr (click to Tweet)

What do you do to be “present” with your writing inspiration?