Practice Magic
November is National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo)! I learned about NaNoWriMo through Chris Baty’s book “No Plot? No Problem!” In it, Chris shares the story of how he and a few friends set a challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days and how this humble challenge grew into a thriving creative community.
I’ve NaNoWriMo’ed and hit the 50,000-word mark three times. That means I’ve written 3 novels! While my books may not be bestsellers, the process of writing them was magical. My practice was to write at least 1,667 words a day (1/30th of the total). I needed this steady, often tedious daily practice. The sheer volume of words forced me to ignore my critical inner editor and just write. While this practice wasn’t always magical, it made space for magic to emerge. Like when:
I discovered unexpected plot twists and character developments as I wrote. It was almost like the characters were writing themselves!
I wrote something that was just… bad. But instead of getting discouraged, I found humor and joy in it and laughed out loud.
I shared my writing adventure with friends. Their support and encouragement helped me grow and made the experience even more meaningful.
This kind of magic - discovery, joy, and meaning - can emerge for me while improvising on the piano too. In her beautiful book “Improvisation,” the pianist Mildred Portney Chase writes:
“Once you give yourself the necessary permission to start to move, to go into action, ideas and movement become concurrent. The mind will continue to reveal amazing examples of the vast richness that lies within, richness that could remain hidden in the recesses for a lifetime if not called into use.”
I think this point of view applies to developing as a leader as well. Wanting to get things right the first time or in a certain way narrows our attention. We fail to notice other options, possibilities, and ways of being with ourselves and others. By not acting, we cut ourselves off from information flows happening outside of ourselves too, thereby limiting our creativity and effectiveness.
Reflection Questions
What direction do you want to move toward? What practice can help you get into action?
Where in your life do you (or could you) practice experimentation or improvisation? What might you discover?
What magic might be waiting for you?
Other Paths to Explore (a.k.a. sources that have informed my thinking):
Anne Lamott encourages us to write shitty first drafts (in “Bird by Bird”).
Annie Murphy Paul gives lots of examples of how cognition doesn’t just happen inside the confines of our brain (in “The Extended Mind”).
Gina McCarthy talks about taking on big things (at 22:13).
Pianist Mark Levine writes “The next note is the first note of the rest of your solo” (in “The Jazz Piano Book”).
Jennifer Garvey Berger and Carolyn Coughlin remind us that “…learning and delight are also about change and uncertainty and interdependence.” (In “Unleashing Your Complexity Genius”).
(photo description) My NaNoWriMo winner certificate from the first time I participated.
