“Beginner Mind” and Revision

February 21, 2018

I’m a fan of post-it note reminders to myself. I like to copy down wisdom from life or writing-craft books. I post these messages at eye-level in my office, and I keep them there until they become part of my writing practice. Here’s my latest one:

This note came from an exchange with my current faculty advisor at VCFA, the insightful Liz Garton Scanlon, author of numerous books for children, including the Caldecott-honored picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee. In our conversation, I was sharing information about a manuscript that had gone off-track during revisions, and how I suspected that I had become too focused on smaller revisions and failed to see big-picture characterization and plot concerns. Basically, I didn’t approach each stage of revision with an open mind. I’d already decided that certain aspects of the manuscript were good enough. Liz said, “Yes, I think this can happen once we THINK we know what we’re doing. It’s almost better to go back to Beginner Mind each time.”

Thank you, Liz, for this insight.

“Beginner Mind” is a Zen term made popular by monk and teacher Shunryu Suzuki. It refers to having an attitude of openness and freedom from preconceptions. In his book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, Suzuki writes, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

How does this relate to writing? When writing our stories, we become the experts on them. It can be hard to put aside all our past experience with our stories and see them fresh. Author and speaker Natalie Goldberg says, “beginner’s mind is what we must come back to every time we sit down and write.” I’d add to that by saying that we need Beginner Mind for revision as well.

My post-it note is a reminder to let go of being an expert. To focus on what works in my story and what does not. To use the spirit of inquiry. To be open to radical and not-so-radical possibilities. To experiment and play. To embrace patience, and revise fully.

Do you write yourself post-it-note reminders? What insights are you trying to keep in mind?

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