Everyone’s writing ritual is different. I tend to roll out bed and get right to it. while I’ll often listen to music, it’s more for the affect of white noise.
I’ve found that serious writing gets done when you shut off all distractions and concentrate on putting words to the page.
You don’t worry about whether this sentence is clunky, or that phrase is clichéd. You let the words pour out and don’t stop until you’re done.
In these moments time seems to stop until you look up and hours have gone by without you noticing. It’s in these moments we find the freedom to explore and try new things with words, for the hell of it.
When you forget about the audience and write from the heart, it’ll be messy. But under that crap is something that will resonate with people.
The first steps is always the hardest.
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| image by Carl Dwyer via sxc.hu |
You stare at the screen not knowing how or what to say. But then you muster up the courage and type one word. And then another, and another until you’ve hit your groove. Yes there are days you’ll struggle but that’s what separates the amateurs from the pros.
Anyone can write when the muse strikes, but the mark of a true writer is one who churns it out when it’s last thing they want to do. There are times when I couldn’t care less about writing.
But once I force myself to sit down and get to it everything drops away and it’s just me and my words. There’s a certain Zen quality where the more you do it the less resist to it you become.
So the next time your muse is AWOL stick your butt in the chair, or in my case a bed, and write anyways.
Even if it’s crap that’s destined for the trash bin, you’ve learned something from the process and produced something. Which is more than what others can say. Stick to it and your muse will show up, and if not then fuck it. Write anyways.