Slow and Steady Steps
BySometimes writers go through a non-writing period. It’s also during this time that many writers start second-guessing themselves and their writing abilities. If you are currently in such a place, I want to encourage you not to do this to yourself.
Although I am sure there are lots of writers out there who think it’s a sin to not write every day, the truth is there are that many more of us out there who don’t always write every single day. I use the term "write" very loosely here, because the reality of it is that we all write something every day: a grocery list, a love note scribbled hurriedly on a scrap of paper, calculations on the back of a receipt.
My writing life seems to go through peaks and valleys. When I’m on a writing peak, I find myself snatching every free second in a day to write, whether it’s typing an article or adding to a piece of fiction on the computer, or writing page upon page by hand in my journal. When I find myself in a writing valley though, I feel dry and empty, without much to say. And so I stay away from the page.
Honestly, those writing valleys could probably be just as easily coaxed back onto a peak when encouraged with daily tidbits of writing. And there have been times when I’ve done just that to "trick" myself into writing more again. But there are also times when I need those valleys, or down time, away from writing. These are the moments in which I find ways to refill my well, by losing myself in magazines, books, paintings, movies….whatever it is I need in that moment to give back to myself.
Steps vary, writer to writer. No two writers work the same, therefore none of us should judge another according to our own works. As for me, slow and steady steps does the trick. There are moments when I run a sprint, or jog for a bit, but I have come to learn that by not overdoing things, I am much more prone to the best of writing.
What are your writing steps like?
