So I wrote today for the first time since my dad died. It was not, shall we say, a good experience.
I wrote garbage. It was hard; squeezing blood from a stone hard. But that’s the thing about writing: we have to do it when it sucks and when it’s hard.
We have to do it even when what we produce is garbage.
I Am Producing Garbage (And So Can You)
I’ve explained before that most of what we write is crap. There’s no shame in that; the more we write, the better we get.
It’s the editing that makes writing shine, always – and that means we need to give ourselves permission to suck.
Listen: I’ve been writing all my life and published since 2012, and I can tell you with all sincerity that what you write will never match what you see in your head.
”What Click To Tweet, that effort isn’t wasted. It’s making you a better writer. There are no wasted words. Even when you use the wrong word, even when you have to guess and just type (better word here!), that effort isn't wasted. It's making you a better writer. Click To TweetChurn Out That Garbage With Confidence!
So this is 2019. It’s tense. We have valid reasons to be afraid.
I lost my dad two weeks ago, and I know I’m not the only one bereaved.
Look: we all have stuff going on. It’s not a competition. The key is to keep writing.
[bctt tweet=”Look: we all have stuff going on. It’s not a competition. The key is to keep writing.”} /–>Let it be junk. That’s okay. Just don’t stop, whatever you do.
Keep writing, and get your story told.
