For some of us, this is entirely about routine. You write one thousand words -every day, without fail- right after breakfast. That’s when the mood strikes you, or when you know to tame it, and you are at your most productive. I think that’s incredibly efficient and self-aware. You must know your moment, in the moment, so that you are ready for inspiration.
There is something to be said about pushing through and getting to the work. Even when you don’t feel like it, sometimes it is best to sit in front of that screen or hold that pen to paper and just get over yourself and write. Give up on expectations of drafting the best novel ever written, or being the next Stephen King or Maya Angelou, and just get on with it, one word in front of the other.
In that way, writing is a lot like marathon running. Both require training, mastery over your emotions, dedication to progress, and unbelievable determination. In a long run, there is a moment when you are pushing through called the wall. That’s where everything in your body is screaming at you to quit and you are left with the simplest of choices: slow down, stop, or move on.
The world stops in that moment. Your brain slows as you think over your reply, desperate for rest. You must know your moment –and yourself– to be able to ‘go on.’
You have to know, in that moment, that you are making progress. That you are not actually hurting or stalling in your work. That there is benefit to keeping your fingers moving across the keyboard.
You have to know your own worth.
