The opposite of writer’s block.

~ Leslee Watt

People ask me all the time if I’ve had writer’s block yet. The answer is always ‘no’. It is quite the opposite. I am constantly writing, even if I have no where to put the words. I get woken up in the middle of the night and am fed my lines. At the most inopportune times I am overwhelmed with things to add, things to edit, things to say.  Sometimes I feel as though I am not the writer of this book at all – I am simply the medium through which this story is passing.

I  keep a pad of paper and a pen by the side of my bed. It is for those times that I wake up and cannot get back to sleep until I submit to whatever energy is wanting to drive this story forward. Last night I was woken up by the sensation of my spirit soaring like some kind of piano concerto. I scribbled  down the memory of walking with Eunyeong, a Korean pilgrim who had quite her job and two days later showed up on the Camino Portuguese with borrowed gear. Her shoes were not even her own. We shared a major language barrier, and yet we seemed to have an intense connection. The day we met on the Camino we had both been crying for the same reason – we were overwhelmed by the kindness of others. She had met a Portuguese man – a stranger, who had honored her as a pilgrim by washing her feet and dressing her blisters. They too did not share a language.

After days of struggling to share out thoughts with each other, Eun broke a long stretch of silence and said to me (and this is the line I scribbled down late last night), “I cannot understand your words but I can hear your heart. I feel what you feel.”

When I woke this morning, I had a message from Eunyeong. At precisely the time I was writing down her words she was sending me these:

“I am listening to piano music – “Annees de Pelerinage” (Years of Pilgrimage) by Franz Lisze. It is not easy to express myself in English, but I think about the Camino with you.”

 

Do you see now? I am not the writer of these stories. I am just the teller. 

I am afflicted with the opposite of writer’s block.

 

5 thoughts on “The opposite of writer’s block.”

  1. Leslee isn’t making this stuff up. I have been sick the last little while so I haven’t been sleeping well and I was awake while she was writing last night. Her phone was in the other room and I heard it vibrate because there was a message, the message Eunyeong sent. This stuff is crazy! The connections Leslee made on the Camino with the place and the people there are otherworldly!

    Shameless plug, the very small portion (couple paragraphs) I have read of Leslee’s book are really exceptional both content wise and writing wise. She is multi-talented and writing (I mean channeling) is something she excels at.

    Brent

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  2. Hi Leslee. A week ago I “found” your book at the West Van library. I have read many books about the Camino – before and after I have been a pilgrim … I won’t tell you all my story here but just like you there was a call to go walk the Camino ( in my case it was on the Via Podiensis in France) and also when I came back I started writing about my adventure and many times I woke up in the middle of the night with sentences that pushed me out of bed so I could write them. I walked in May/June 2019. My book is going to be published soon and on my blog FUNandLIFE.2 I will announce it. I am only on page 63 in your book but so far I love it. Thanks for sharing your story.

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    1. Hi there! Thanks so much for reaching out! Wow – great timing on your pilgrimage. Right before the shutdown! Very cool that our experiences overlap – best of luck on your launch! Publishing a book is a pilgrimage in and of itself. 😉

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      1. hi Leslee. Thanks for your note. I will comment another time ( when the reading of your book will be done…I am trying to read it slowly). I am receiving my second version from Amazon today. We ( my son, my husband and I ) will review it AGAIN … this is the beauty about self-publishing!!! If you want to know more about my book, make sure you check out my post ( April 26 ) on FUNandLIFE.2… It is always great to know other pilgrims here in Canada or else. Take care.

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