Just as we dress up in costumes at Halloween, our fears often disguise themselves, too. It’s natural to have fears when it comes to your writing. After all, we make a business of pouring our heart out onto the page and sharing it with the world.
But don’t let these fears hold you back!
I’m often asked,”How did you become a writer? Did you always dream about being a writer as a kid? How did you actually make it happen?”
If you’ve ever wanted to become a writer, today I want to share my personal experience of becoming a writer. I especially want to explore the writing habits I had to develop to become a professional writer. The most important habit required of a writer might surprise you.
Real life often gives us no time to write.
In an ideal world, we’d all have that perfect writer’s schedule. We’d rise early and toss out five-thousand words before breakfast. We’d lead off lunch with a few hundred more, and after the kids were in bed, conclude the day with another thousand just because.
My life certainly looks nothing like that. Does yours? From personal experience, I’m here to tell you how to write when you have no time.
I recently dreamed that The Write Practice owner, Joe Bunting, Monica Clark (TWP regular contributor), and I were trapped in a room together overnight. We had to write 100 different blog posts until dawn…or, we died.
I know it sounds silly, but you know how dreams are. It was writing until the death, people! I awoke in a sweat.
Here’s the kicker: Joe wore a mustard-colored matador costume the entire time, complete with the bedazzled knickers and little black hat. I paused occasionally from our brainstorming to persuade him to change into regular clothes, but he refused because it made him more creative.
The next day, I realized….
This may be one of the most important questions you ever answer in the course of your writing career. Why? Because there will be days when no one around you—including yourself—believes you can really do this.
On those days, this answer will be crucial.
Read on.
Here’s the thing about creative energy: it can dry up.
Writing is an amazing act of courage and creation, and it takes a lot out of us. All too often, we run out of steam, and usually at the worst possible moments—when we have a deadline, a story to finish, a publisher breathing down our necks, or even just our own internal editor’s demands.
The good news: it happens to us all.
The better news: there’s a way out. Read on.
