Award-winning author Glen Erik Hamilton was entertaining and thought-provoking. He shared his techniques and tricks for managing our external environment, our internal mindset, and shifting our mental gears between writing and rewriting our work. In other words, how to shut out the real world and allow room for fictional ones.
Hamilton explained that he takes a Zen-like approach to preparing to write, defining Writing Mindfully as writing with a purpose, and to that end, relaxation is key to enable us to focus on the here & now, which is where we want to be as we get ready to write.
He described the area in which we write as sacred space, one dedicated specifically for our writing. In preparation, he suggested eliminating anything that could be distracting, even to the point of hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door.
Once that’s accomplished, he suggested that we prepare mentally before ‘putting pen to paper.’ Using his method, meditating for a few minutes, sitting still, and concentrating just on our breathing to achieve relaxation and focus on the task at hand.
Once that’s done, we are ready to write, be it a starting sentence, a new chapter, or a rewrite.
At the end of Hamilton’s presentation, our chapter held a raffle for a copy of his latest book, Island of Thieves, which was won by Martha Crites.