Just Do It!

Well, that's exactly what I have been doing-writing. I've come to the conclusion that to write about anything is better than not writing at all. I journal almost everyday and for years that's been my way of saying, at least you're writing, but I also recognize that I've use that as an excuse to not write having fulfilled my daily obligation of writing. Perhaps, there is the problem because I look at it as an obligation. Who am I obliged to other than myself? The attitude towards my writing has always been, what if, maybe, what does it matter? I recognize that it doesn't really matter to anyone, but me if I write or not. But shouldn't I be accountable to myself? Shouldn't I want to write because it makes me feel so good? I've got a million, maybe even a zillion excuses-okay I'm exaggerating, but if I need an excuse not to write, I've got one. I don't want to have any excuses to deny myself happiness anymore. And if on any given day it seems like a chore, well that's too bad-I have to do it, anyway.

When I think of how long I've been writing, creating stories, telling tales, if I had stuck with it I would certainly have been published by now and probably writing for a living! So, committing, now to write daily, I have a very good chance of becoming a published author! Oh, I've published articles, essays and written press releases, website text for clients, but I mean a published book author-that's when you know you've made it.

So, I'm committing to myself, just like other commitments that I've been able to adhere to, that I am writing everyday towards an end of a finished, published book.

To Write Or Not To Write?

That truly is an on-going question for me. I love the writing process and enjoy journaling, too. I'm in heaven while I'm writing, no matter what it's about. Hearing the clicking of the keys and watching the letters magically appear on the screen before me, is likened to watching a plant grow, only in fast motion. I sometimes just sit here clicking away because I love the action of it all, but in reality that won't get me where I want to be as a writer.

It takes consisten effort and willingness to face the blank screen or paper, allowing the self to come forward. The writer part of me wants to write all the time, while the fraidy-cat inside says, what's the use? Do I need to have a specific outcome to write? Sometimes, but not always.

A friend challenged me to take just 15 minutes a day to write. That small step has gleaned pages in the past months and I'm on my way to becoming the writer I've always dreamed of being. I have proposals being formulated, I'm entering contests and blogging!

So, when you think you just can't get the nerve or the desire to write, just ask yourself for 15 minutes, without a specific outcome. It really does work and before you know it, you'll have a paragraph, then a page and more.