Big Magic: Should you start writing?

After having read Elizabeth Gilberth’s book ‘Big Magic’ — okay, let’s be honest: after having listened to an audiobook, #cheatalert!, I decided to give writing a try.

In her book Elizabeth Gilbert empowers the reader to embrace vulnerability and follow one’s desire to create. She talks about inspiration as if it had its own consciousness and as if it deliberately chooses a person it wants to grant itself to — Woah ...Interesting.

She goes on with telling the story of how she was fortunate to receive the blessing of an inspiration, but has lost it after putting her project aside for too long, only to discover, after two years, that the same idea has sailed to the harbours of her beloved writer-friend, the moment they had exchanged a kiss of admiration.

What really fascinates me about this book, is how Elizabeth emphasises on the necessity of writing for the sake of writing, fully immersing oneself into the process, into the flow.

She then gives an example of how often she would hear people say: ‘I want to write to help others’ — that would make her roll her eyes and start begging: ‘Please, don’t!’.

This is when I had to pause. Wait. Isn’t this what we are here for? To help others? To share our knowledge? To be the best versions of ourselves?!?!

However, it looks like Ms Gilbert is of the opposite opinion. She says that the joy of writing should solely come from the process of it and if one is truly enjoying it, the enjoyment will inevitably get transmitted though the words into the readers’s eyes, into their minds, into their hearts.

I might have lost some details, or was not entirely accurate, but I hope you will forgive me, as I swallowed this book in one gulp, not pausing it even once since I put it on, almost burning a hole ironing my favourite denim shirt, when my face was lighting up with inspiration and a desire to create.

Because in the end, life is too short to be stuck in analysis paralysis.