Good Girls Gone Bad - supernatural action thriller.
It's pure magic.
But then, your mind starts to drift. You
start dwelling on that scathing review you got last year or fretting about whether this book will be a commercial success. Suddenly, you're ripped out of that beautiful present moment of artistic expression, and you've mentally transported yourself into past pain or future anxiety.
That groove you were in? Shattered. That lightning in a bottle you had captured? Dissolved in a haze of mental time
travel. All because you couldn't stay anchored in the here and now.
Can you see the pattern, Gentle Reader? When we're not grounded in the present, we rob ourselves of so much richness life has to offer. We miss opportunities for growth, connection, and creative breakthroughs. We allow the shackles of past hurt and future fear to blind us to the profound lessons and joys available in each passing
moment.
As a writer, presence is a superpower, and it should be for you, too. My job as a writer is not just to transport readers into realms beyond their wildest dreams but to be able to render reality in exquisite, unwavering detail. We need to truly see, taste, touch, and feel the present moment in order to breathe life into our art.
So here's my challenge to you this week, family: practice presence with me. When you feel your mind slipping into the future or the past, gently nudge it back to the here and now. Use your finely tuned observation skills in your immediate surroundings. Notice the sounds, the smells, the sensations. Let them anchor you firmly in the present.
While
you're in that state of presence, be open. Open to the inspiration that constantly surrounds us when we're willing to perceive it. Open to the beauty in the most ordinary moments - the warmth of a fresh cup of coffee, the way the sunlight dances through the trees, the comforting buzz of bees in the summer.
I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the great Maya Angelou: "My
mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style."
To thrive, fam. To experience this journey, we're on with vibrancy and zest. That's the invitation to the present moment, each and every day.
I'll catch y'all next week
as we explore some more wisdom from my journeys in the world of speculative fiction. But for now - be present. The future is unwritten, and the past is but a memory. All you can ever truly inhabit is now.
Peace, love and power, my friends. Present moment, activated.
Be Your Own Hero.
