Hello, my name is Nicole, and I must confess. I never believed in the saying that a writer should write daily. So I never did it. This only changed when I started to write a haiku daily.
A Good Old Recommendation
What sounds like the beginning of a “Writers Anonymous Meeting” is actually true. I never believed in the recommendation that a writer should write daily. I never believed in having to write a certain amount of words. I am convinced that many repetitive (and wondrously still selling) literary BS is based on this belief. I was convinced that “inspired writing” was the only way that worked for me. Then I started to write haiku again after a very long break. Even funnier, I decided not only to write them but to publish them, too. (more here)
Old Writing Trauma Resurfacing
I frankly admit the beginning of the process was fun. I wrote haiku left, right, and center. Then I noticed. Ops, a couple of them were senryu. Now what? I decided to consider them too, so I piled 17 syllables onto 17 syllables until it hit me. Wait, what is the concept of this book anyway? Does a haiku book even need a concept? Hint: My answer is YES! Suddenly, I saw myself confronted with memories.
In 2015 I published my first book. Back then, I was writing fairy tales. I love fairy tales, so why not publish them? Just too bad that I had no real vision at that time. A (very) small publishing house was even interested in my work. Much to my surprise. But I refused to go into in-depth talks. I thought I knew everything better.
Making A New Plan
I miserably failed. I loved the quality of the fairy tales, but there was no theme. No cohesion. No vision. Just the plain desire to publish, which I did. I sold a couple of copies, and the feedback was good. And then sales went South, and to my motivation to ever publish another book with it.
Sitting among my newly written haiku (not literally, though), I decided: This will not happen again! This time I will sit down and develop a
- timeline
- daily writing habit
- theme
- design
- marketing plan
Just good that I have a background in career consulting. It was time to consult myself. What can I say? It was fun!
Writing A Haiku Daily
So for the past months, I have written at least one haiku daily. And while my mind was complaining the first days. It told me “it wasn’t in the mood” or “there was no inspiration.” Or – my favorite – “We don’t need routines anymore.” While this is true to a certain extent, I am so awake to know that the mind has no real clue about inspiration. And is a routine really “just a routine” when you enjoy it? Because that’s what I did. Very much so!
And here is what I found after a couple of months of writing (at least) one haiku daily.
- My theme for the book developed naturally. And at this point, I can tell you that it will be about change and transformation, using the natural flow within a garden as an example. I will share more about the theme soon because it has several layers.
- Writing a haiku is my “meditation time.” So much so that I started to meditate again. Even more, I started a YouTube channel with meditation music.
- I realized that it’s good to have some structure (3 lines, 17 syllables) and be creative within this structure. And let me tell you, whole universes fit into 17 syllables!
- I listen more to my “soul prompts” (you might call it “intuition.”) outside the dedicated writing time; I also notice the incredible healing capabilities of poetry in general and haiku especially. I will sit down and meditate on it as I love the topic of poetry and healing. It’s something I wish to explore further and share with you as “pearls of wisdom.”
- Lastly, I repeatedly notice that being creative adds to our resilience. The more we learn about creativity and our innate creativity, the better we can respond to life’s challenges. And we all got plenty of them right now.
Well, that’s the latest development from my side. I’ll resort to my creative time now, and let’s see what I will find next. If you enjoyed this article, please sign up for the newsletter via the top bar. And if you like community, feel free to follow me on Instagram.
Love & Wisdom – Always!
Nicole Erika
Nicole Erika is a self-realized writer and coach who reminds you of the Ease Of Creation and the Joy of Self-Expression.
