The Meaning of Enthusiasm

Entheos, the root of the word enthusiasm, comes from the Greek 'to be filled with God'. Lately as I've contemplated starting new writing projects, I've felt a difference in how I approach my work. If I push myself to write just for the sake of knocking out the word count, I often feel there is emptiness to that approach. I do believe that there is benefit in starting to write when I don't feel inspired (which is often) and do often find that inspiration catches up to me. 

But the times when I feel most thrilled to be writing are when the words, sentences and stories seem to be spinning from a very deep and excited place in me - it's almost as though I can't wait to get the words down on the page. When that happens - I feel completely enthusiastic - "filled with God" - and the whole process of writing feels like a divine dance. 

How do you writers out there work? Do you subscribe to the BIC principle (butt in chair) or do you often feel filled with a divine sense of creative power — or perhaps both? 

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