Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Art of Surrender

I didn’t know anything about a book called The MoonQuest when its words began to flow through me.

I didn’t know The Voice of the Muse was a book when its words began pouring from me.

All I knew in both instances was that my Muse was calling me and that the only way to answer its call was to write.

As I wrote, the books took care of themselves.

One day’s writing led to the next. One draft led to the next. One book led to the next.

Each day, draft and book drove my pen. My pen, in turn, drove me.

My only job was to release all attachment to form, structure, content and outcome. My only job was to write and let the words go where they chose and create what was theirs to create.

As it turned out, what was theirs to create were books. They could have been screenplays, short stories, articles, journal entries or exercises. They could have been anything at all.

My job wasn't to try to figure that out. My job was to write, to surrender to the imperative of my Muse -- a wiser soul in all things creative than I could ever pretend to be.

Life can be like that too. When God or our higher self or our intuition or our heart guides us in a particular direction, our responsibility is to surrender -- using our discernment, of course...a discernment that gets sharpened and honed with each experience.

We can no more figure out the bigger life picture with its infinite possibility than we can the bigger creative picture with its. In both cases, the full potential lies so far beyond our imagining that, truly, surrender is the only viable option.

What can you surrender to today? In your writing? In your life? How can you start? Now?

• adapted from The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, two-time award-winner in 2009: a New Mexico Book Award and an Independent Publisher Book Award


Give the gift of creativity and inspiration this holiday season...

For a limited time only:
Special Holiday Editions of Mark David's books and CDs

• Gift-wrapped books + book/CD packages signed by Mark David to your friends/family members, and shipped directly to them with a card bearing the holiday message of your choice. More information here.

• Gift-certificates for coaching sessions, for the writer or writer-wannabe on your holiday gift list. More information here.



Mark David's December Radio Show

The Muse & You with Mark David Gerson
Special Guest: Karen Walker, author of Following the Whispers
Thursday, December 17 — 1pm ET

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