Happy Friday!
My happy place has always been Fire Island. I love the ocean, being outside, and the feeling that the rest of the world is somewhere else. For years, I thought of it as paradise.
There was only one problem. Mosquitoes. I’m apparently white chocolate to a mosquito. When I sat outside watching a glorious sunset, I had to accept getting eaten alive as part of the experience. I thought paradise was like a rose. If you wanted the beauty, you accepted the thorns. On Fire Island, the thorns were mosquitoes.
Recently, I bought a place on the ocean in Florida. It has a pool that’s the perfect temperature and not overly chlorinated. The ocean is steps away, and there’s a private beach.
One evening, as I sat by the pool, watching the sun go down, I realized something amazing: once again I was in paradise, but this time, there were no mosquitoes!
It sounds like a small distinction, but it wasn’t. I’d always thought paradise was about the scenery. What I suddenly realized was that Fire Island had been paradise while I was also constantly defending myself. I’d accepted the attack as part of the experience because I didn’t know it was optional to opt out.
When I stripped paradise down to what actually mattered to me, it wasn’t the pool, the ocean, or even the private beach. It was the freedom to be outside in the evening without getting eaten alive.
What Paradise Really Means
That got me thinking about what paradise actually is. We usually imagine it as a place: a tropical beach, a mountain house, a beautiful hotel, or somewhere far away from our regular lives. My assistant Beth and I both have our real estate ventures, so we’re particularly qualified to believe happiness might be hiding in the next piece of property. But paradise may not be a place at all.
What Our Writers Discovered
For Monday night’s webinar, I gave our writers a simple prompt: What is paradise to you?
What interested me was how little they wrote about possessions or exotic places. Without knowing what anyone else was writing, they kept coming back to people, memories, love, and moments when they felt completely present.
One writer wrote about her grandparents. Her paradise was being with them. It wasn’t somewhere she hoped to go someday. It was somewhere she’d already been, in ordinary moments with people who loved her. Those moments became more valuable because she could no longer return to them.
Another writer imagined being reunited with her brother, who’d died. Her paradise was not a beautiful view or a fabulous vacation. It was one more chance to sit with him, talk to him, and be together.
Another participant wrote about a paradise he still hopes to find: a loving partner with whom he can share his life. Again, there was no mansion, private island, or winning lottery ticket.
Raymond described paradise as having a wonderful writing day. He’d started a new project and spent the day completely immersed in it. There was no beach, no vacation, and no one else in the room. He was simply happy doing what he loved.
“Once upon a time, my creative paradise has become my Writer Studio. I’m now safe. I’m now enough. My 3 hours of screenplay creation begins with 20 minutes of writing sprints. I’m now living in and diving deeper into my zone of my imagination where fear doesn’t exist. To my left is my new Alienware AW3225DM 32 screen. I can now see my 20-minute timer and screenplay poster I’ve designed. I also now see my script & novel book cover designs of my upcoming self-published written work.
In this safe environment, my imagination soars, diving deeper into the world, the sci-fi world I’m creating. My HP Laptop is now playing a YOUTUBE film score of THE BATMAN and the orchestral performance of PETER AND THE WOLF. The mood is now set because of the sounds of the orchestra. Oh, what a joy to see blank reams of paper that’ll soon become my other episodes. The accomplished novel and screenplay paperbacks soon to be major motion pictures series near you to enjoy!”
At first, his story seemed different from the others. Then I realized it wasn’t. The other writers had described paradise as being with the right person.
So had he.
In his case, himself.
Then a young woman attending for the first time wrote about being in a room with her sister while her sister played the guitar. Her sister played, she listened, and for that time there was nowhere else she needed to be. There was only her sister, the music, and the two of them together. For her, that was paradise.
Paradise as Connection
What surprised me was that everyone had stripped paradise down to the same thing: connection. Connection to someone we love, someone we miss, someone we hope to find, or even ourselves.
Paradise, it turns out, is being connected enough to the moment that you don’t want to be anywhere else.
Although no mosquitoes helps.
The Start Writing Now Community
One of the most meaningful parts of these free, twice-monthly webinars has been watching a true community form. I continue to be amazed by the willingness of participants, most of whom are complete strangers, to share writing that is personal, vulnerable, and deeply heartfelt.
There is no judgment and no pressure. Instead, writers of all backgrounds and experience levels are given the space to connect with themselves, trust their creativity, and support one another.
Join me for the next FREE webinar on Monday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Together, we’ll use the Practice, support one another, and discover where one simple word can take us.
Here’s to your personal success.
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
Start Writing Now!
Monday, August 24, 7:00 pm EST
What happens at the free webinars?
You might rediscover a forgotten memory, reflect on something meaningful, or surprise yourself with words you didn’t know were waiting.
I’ll share a simple technique to quiet your inner critic, release perfectionism, and help you enter a calm, creative state. Then we’ll use the Word of the Day Practice and guided exercises to help you write and connect more deeply with yourself and others.
As one first-time participant shared:
“I think this is really awesome, and I think you’re inspiring a lot of writers to pursue their creativity and their passion.”
—Andy Bebe
Whether you’re writing your first sentence, returning to a story, or simply looking for connection and a supportive creative community, give yourself one hour to slow down, write, and discover what has been waiting inside you.
The webinar fills up fast, so reserve your spot here!
This Week’s Writing Prompt
This week’s prompt is Paradise.
- Begin with the Self-Acknowledgment Hug and the affirmations.
- Think of the word Paradise. Allow any image to come to mind. Don’t search for one or try to make it meaningful. Simply notice what appears, and place a word representing that image in the center circle of your cluster.
- Take a breath, smile, and allow another image to come to mind. Remember, it’s perfectly okay if your images don’t seem related. Just notice what appears.
- Repeat the process until you’ve filled the remaining circles in your cluster.
- Set a timer for five minutes and write a story using the words you placed in your cluster. Don’t worry about where the story is going or whether it’s “good.” Just write.
- When the timer goes off, put your writing away. Come back and read it the next day with fresh eyes.
What did your creative subconscious give you when you allowed it to work without judgment? Did anything in your writing surprise you?
I’d love to hear about your experience. If you’d like to share your writing, or any insights or surprises that came from the Practice, send it my way!
Substack (It’s FREE!)
If you’ve ever wondered why practices like the Self-Acknowledgment Hug and the Word of the Day Practice can make such a difference, come explore my Substack.
It’s where I dig a little deeper into the neuroscience behind writing, creativity, self-connection, and personal growth, and how understanding how our brains work can help us access more of what’s already within us.
There’s a growing collection of articles waiting for you, and it’s completely free.
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