The last couple of weeks have been a bust. With a work schedule change I’d have to get up even earlier to get my morning routine done, and that’s asking a lot of a night owl, and then, inexplicably, I got a head cold…how?! So there has been no writing, of any kind, because by the time I get home, all I want to do is snuggle my pups and enjoy a hot toddy.

So you can imagine my frustration these past weeks since having found that newfound desire to create. I’ve come home and stared at the screen and just felt tired and foggy. So annoying.

And because of the congestion, only a few days of yoga in all this time. I feel so off my game.

In the folly of my youth, I used to think you had to be inspired to write. I should have known better since I had to learn to crank out a script in college for a couple of semesters. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. I had to deliver or fail the class. And I was never going to fail a writing class.

As writers, we only have ourselves to rely upon. We show up because we want have to. Like any new habit, or part of any routine, we have to rewire our brains (and our bodies) to understand that at a certain point in the day, it’s time to write, whether we feel like it or not. Whether we’re inspired or not. It’s the only way to make progress, and maybe feel a sense of accomplishment for the day.

This week is going to be a two-for because I think this quote by Neil Gaiman sums it up best:

Some people think that they’re writing is crap if they force it, but they should be in draft mode, and until we get into editing mode, it’s all sort of up in the air anyway. Well, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to along the way. Trying to make a first draft (or maybe even the 5th, 10th, what-have-you) perfect is generally not going to happen (although that draft exists and is wonderful for that reason alone), so put in the time, and then reward yourself when you complete your task. Maybe after a few treats, you’ll trick yourself into that new way of thinking. (Oh, look at that, unintentional Halloween humor. 🙂 )

Happy Writing!