Still reading my Joseph Murphy book, and came across another interesting story during last nights reading regarding the use of the subconscious mind when working on a creative product, such as a novel.
How A Novelist Gets Marvelous Ideas
I once chatted with a wonderful novelist in Calcutta who told me that the secret of her success in writing was due to the fact that she regularly and systematically claimed that God was guiding her in all her ways and that she would astonish the world with the beauties, glories and gems of wisdom given to her by the God within her.
Her favorite prayer was: “God knows all things. God is my Higher Self, the Spirit in me. God is writing a novel through me. He is giving me the themes, the characters and their names, and the locations and setting. He reveals the ideal drama in perfect sequence. I give thanks for the answer which is know is coming, and I go off to sleep with the word ‘novel’ on my lips, until I am lost in the deep of sleep.”
This novelist knew that the word ‘novel’ would be etched on her subconscious mind and that the latter would respond. She said that usually, after praying this way prior to writing a novel, a few days later she would get the inner urge to write, and the words and scenes would flow in an unending stream.
This is representative of the miracle of Divine Guidance which is available to us all.
Now I’m sure that some of you are thinking “How wonderful” and the rest are calling out “bullshit”. And that’s fine.
But from personal experience, I know that this method absolutely works. The words may be different, but I use a similar version each night before I go to bed, depending on what project I am working on (short story, Denton and Monty novel, poem, screenplay) and what specifically I wish to accomplish the next day (plot 5 chapters, 3 poems, 10 pages of script, 3 chapters of the novel).
When I ‘program my computer’ – give a command to my subconscious mind – pray to God – whatever you may call it, I have yet to encounter any writers block. It has never failed to work. When I sit down at my desk, my computer the next day, the words flow freely, the ideas come naturally and organically.
There’s never any stressing out, never any forcing, never any anxiety.
Perhaps it is the placebo effect. Perhaps there is no “God”. Perhaps it’s all in the firing of neural patterns in my brain. I have no idea. The truth is, no one really knows.
But sometimes in life, you don’t need to know how something works, you just need to know that it does work; and if this tool allows me to share my writing gift with the world, and gives me the joy and satisfaction of being able to write freely and without any stress or angst, then I’m all for it.
What do you think would happen if, every night, right before you turn out the bedside light, you took a few minutes and closed your eyes. Relaxed and said a similar statement? What if you asked for help with a problem? Asked for help with your writing?
Could it change your life?
Maybe it could.
Why not give it 30 days and find out?
