just get the world off your shoulders and close your pretty blue eyes.

commandment: write more; think less.

i have always been able to "express myself" better through writing, to get out my ideas and what i have to say. i also find, when i write, it's one of the few times when my head is actually clear - that is, if i can make myself write and not think. i've found if i can do that, just write without thinking too much, i am more likely to get out exactly what i wanted to say in the exact way i wanted to say it. if you've ever gotten a lengthy, somewhat-sappy email from me, you know what i mean.

my freshman year at radford, in my english 101 class, our professor gave us time at the beginning of each class to write. you could write about anything, no specific topics or themes. the main thing was that you would write and not think for the time given. if the professor saw you stop writing, even just for a moment, she'd look at you and say, "write; don't think!" and you were on your way again. busy writing.

it made sense - getting your ideas down at the exact moment they came to you, without editing, without trying to think up big, fancy words to fill in the spaces between. it was just what you had on your mind or your exact ideas about whatever came to your mind and, in turn, just what you wanted to write.

i've tried to practice this in the writing i do, because i find that if i think too much as i'm writing, i miss out on my original thoughts and can't seem to find my way back to them again. there's always time to go back and add in those descriptive details, and there's always time to edit out the things you don't like. but in the beginning, i try to write more and think less.

here's a fun website to try: www.oneword.com

this commandment not only deals with writing more and thinking less as i'm writing; it also deals with writing more in general. as i said before, it's a way i've found of clearing my mind. if something's bothering me, i try to write about it, and it helps - it helps to get it out there; it helps to get it out of my head for the time being; and it's a way of dealing with my ever-present over-thinking. i've found, when i write about what's bothering or worrying me, i start to see the situation itself, whatever it is, a little more clearly. say that i've just experienced something and i write about it, and after reading back what i've written, i realize things about those particular experiences (a lesson learned) that i failed to realize in the moment. does that make any sense? in other words, by writing, and especially by writing exactly what i mean and feel, i've learned a lot more about myself and the life i lead.

that's the whole point to this blog, isn't it? finding out a little more about myself through writing.

"write down the thoughts of the moment. those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable."