“If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.” -William Zinsser, American journalist
I've had several conversations lately with aspiring writers who have said something along the lines of, "I really want to write, but whenever I try, it's just so hard!"
I'm here to tell you that embracing the difficulty is the only way to move forward! Writing is hard. It takes effort, both mental and emotional, to do any creative work, including writing, but that's no reason to give up! That said, I've found a few things that can make things a bit easier.
1) Schedule your writing time
A lot of us think that we should wait for inspiration to strike before we try to write anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like any other skill, writing is one that develops as you use it. You have to actually sit down at your keyboard or with pen and paper and start writing. So schedule some regular time each day or each week and stick to it. Develop the habit and I'm confident you'll find that the words start to come a bit more easily.
2) Set (reasonable) goals and share them
I, for one, work a lot better under a deadline. But self-defined deadlines are sometimes too easily rescheduled to the point of being worthless. So I set a goal for how long I want to spend writing or how much I want to write and by when and then I share it with either Brad or a friend who writes. This has the effect of making it feel more real; once someone else knows my deadline or goal, I feel much more compelled to meet it.
3) Share what you've written
In my experience, creative people are generally their own fiercest (and most unfair) critics. If the only feedback you ever get is your own, you may never believe what you've written is any good, which will only reinforce your hesitation to do it more. So share with a trusted friend/writer/partner (or a few!) and get some honest critiquing going on. Bolstered by their enthusiasm and interest, you may just find it that much easier to write some more.
Most importantly, whatever you find that works for you, do it! If a glass of wine calms your nerves, keep a bottle in the house. If spinning on your head does the trick, hey, who am I to judge? Just don't give up!
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