All good art is born first from loneliness and boredom.

It begins to die when those two first causes (one swelling from the heart, the other derived from the mind) cease to make war inside the body. "Getting over yourself" is a phrase that is perhaps a bit misleading, but it nevertheless implies an elevation in your ability to succeed in the task that lies before you. If you are going to make "the transition from thinking to writing," then you must be aware of the internal processes that motivate good writing. Conflict is as necessary as the resolution, even if the final goal or analysis ends in eternal struggle that never truly resolves itself.

But how do you overcome your Self? And how do you translate the internal dialogue that goes on inside of your own body, so that it becomes tangible and real, existing independently outside of your individual thoughts and feelings? Nothing will ever get done unless those thoughts and feelings that make up your consciousness are placed into an arena that is larger than the space where you sit alone and muse about those novel ideas.

In order to elevate, or overcome your Self, you've got to get started on eliminating the barriers that block the concepts from emerging into that stream of consciousness that flows freely from your abstract thinking onto the concreteness of the page. And how is that accomplished? Instead of musing about those novel ideas, start writing them down. Get into a habit of carrying a notebook and pen everywhere you go. If you'd prefer a vocal recording device, then by all means speak to the machine. The most important thing to do is to practice the activity over and over. Just like everything else that requires talent, writing is perfected through the act of writing. Sooner or later, you'll find that your internal thoughts are beginning to align with the written words that make up your activity. In essence, you will have begun to make the "transition from thinking to writing."

I began this article by saying that all good art is born first from loneliness and boredom. I truly believe that it is. And the reason why I believe it is, is because writing is very personal. Good writing relies upon good instincts, and those instincts come from the heart and the mind of each individual. Loneliness is something that good writers tend to eventually embrace because they know that without it, they wouldn't be so unique. The words that they choose, the odd characters, the stories, they all shed light on that inner loneliness. And boredom is something that I think all curious minds possess. Good writers and other talented artists are filled with it. And this is why they seek to relieve the dull aching in such ingenious ways.

And what do they do to "get over themselves?" Well, they overcome their Self, they elevate the act of creation to a place where even other people get to enjoy it. They paint, or they make music, or they build things, or they tear things apart, and sometimes they even write. Maybe they'll never truly "get over themselves," but ultimately I think they learn how to accept that constant struggle that never truly resolves itself.

Learn more about this author, T. Youngblood.
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