So, I am learning piano from the lowest of bases, which is pretty much the case with me and this new world of self-publishing and indie authorship too. This has meant that learning the piano has furnished me with many lessons that are equally applicable to being an author.

Some days practising the piano has felt like wading through incredibly thick treacle while
wearing iron boots. I have had to force myself to stay on the piano stool for my allotted practice time, even though the urge to run screaming from the piano has, at times, been overwhelming. However, the following day, when I have returned to the piano stool, I have found things suddenly click. I have experienced this time and again with writing as well. This has taught me that I need to put the hours in (whether practising piano or writing) regardless of how difficult it feels on that particular day. I will reap the benefit of that input at a later date. I just need to have faith in the process

Those of you who have read previous posts of mine will remember that I have had problems in the past with spending too much time researching and not enough time writing. Learning the piano has reminded me of the importance of doing in order to learn and improve. Reading about playing the piano isn’t going to make me Lang Lang (actually nor is practising, come to think of it), but practising might actually give me a chance of becoming half-decent.

This is a very important life lesson for me. I have found it much easier to persevere with the hard work of learning the piano and writing than I did with jobs I have done in the past. The common theme between these two pursuits (and what that previous work was missing) is the creativity involved. This is a sustaining force.

Watching TV is not the only way to relax and refresh the brain (in fact it’s probably a pretty bad way). Doing something else mentally stimulating is a good way to recover from work (whether it be writing or any other job) and can help you to do that work much better. I have found my creative thinking to be far greater and my brain to feel far fresher at the end of a session of piano practice (which always comes toward the end of the day) than with other, more passive means of relaxation.

I am working my way through a fantastic book of piano pieces written by Bela Bartok which he composed specifically to teach his son the piano. This means that they are getting progressively more difficult and introducing new ‘concepts’ as they go along. I have found two or three of the pieces particularly challenging and almost overwhelming. Instead of throwing in the towel, though, I have simply slowed down and taken these particularly complicated pieces at a more manageable pace and in smaller chunks. This means I will get to my ‘destination’ more slowly than I intended, but it means I should still get there. There have been times when I have been writing when my narrative has become bogged down and I have found it hard to resolve a particular tension that has come into the story. taking this approach has helped me to work through these sections and come out the other side.

I have applied the lessons above to my writing, but, on reviewing them, I can see that they are applicable to most things in life. What useful life lessons have you learnt from unexpected sources? I would love it if you let me know by leaving a comment below. If you’ve enjoyed this post and found it useful, please do share it with your friends through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. (you’ll find shortcut buttons for doing so below).