Why Writing Is Hard

 Yesterday I wrote and published a blog faster than usual.  I felt pretty inspired by the events that had just occurred and I wanted to get them down on the screen before the impressions left.  One of the tricks with writing is to do it as quickly as possible and not stop until it is time to stop.  When is it time to stop?   Either when the designated time is up or the designated number of pages is written, or when I’ve said what I need to say.  With regard to writing time, I feel like I don’t get enough.  I usually write for an hour in the morning and an hour at night.  Some writers write for two to four hours a morning.  I can’t do that yet, so I do the best I can.  I’ve written over 480 blogs, so I guess I’m doing something well and I’d like to do more.

Yesterday was so busy that I barely got time to eat.  In fact, I really didn’t eat much at all but a slice of pizza, a smoothie and some cookies until after 10:00 that night.  I need to take better care of myself if I’m going to take care of my Muse.  Right now I’m just rambling.  I’m still looking for a subject.  I’ve also procrastinated enough by looking at Facebook and eBay, so now I need to keep writing.  No one ever talks about this part, the part where I have to keep writing until my Muse speaks to me.  Maybe no one talks about it because everyone knows about it.  It’s called writer’s block.  It’s the writing I do before I can do any actual writing.  It’s just getting words on the paper or the screen until I have something coherent to say.

I think writing is rarely perceived as something glamorous or romantic.  Maybe some think it’s sitting quietly near a beach with a Margarita nearby and having the creativity flow.   Maybe some think they’ll be rich and successful like John Grisham or Truman Capote.  Maybe I can wear all white like Truman does.  Maybe some think that writers are celebrities and get to tour and promote their books.  It’s not any of those things for me.  Here’s what writing is for me.

Writing is getting up at 5:00 in the morning.  Maybe on the weekends I will sleep in until 6:00.  It’s usually dark and cold and I stumble around trying to get a cup of coffee and get focused.

Writing is staying up late at night because I’ve made the commitment to write two blogs a day.

Writing is the feeling of disappointment I get when I don’t meet my commitments. 

Writing is harder than working for others because the discipline is self-imposed.  No one is paying me (yet).  Somehow that makes me feel more responsible to it than I do even to my paying jobs.  And I feel very responsible to them.

Writing is putting out a book that I put my heart and soul and time into and selling fewer than ten copies.

Writing is working for hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes years on things that no one may ever see and may even be thrown away.

Writing is hard, disappointing and lonely.

Writing is also the following.

Writing is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  It has brought me peace, comfort and best of all, my Muse.

Writing is what gave me the courage to move forward in life and not just keep talking about it. 

Writing is what heals and teaches me.

Writing is one of the ways God speaks to me.

Writing is not my identity, but it’s part of who I am.  That’s why I have to do it.

Writing is fun.

Writing is so wonderful that it erases any pain or disappointment that come from the difficulties. 

Writing is something that can be done for its own sake.  It’s beautiful and freeing.

And again, best of all, writing is what brought my Muse to me.  Maybe I started writing and she came.  Maybe she came and I started writing.  It doesn’t matter.  I’m just glad she’s here and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

Every day I want to Get Started and Keep Going…and keep writing.