Just Do It

I just finished a first draft of a short story. I love the after-feeling of writing--imagine the way the body feels after exercise; that's how my brain feels after writing. These days I believe heavily in forcing myself to write. It used to be if I was having an off-day, I'd cut myself some slack, wait for the creative ebb to re-take its course.

Not anymore. Now I force myself to sit down four times a week and write at least 1,000 words. Then I'm off the hook--unless I want to write more, which I sometimes do. I've found that often, once I start writing the so-called inspiration finds its way.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have off-days, and yes, there have been times when I've broken my own promises to write. I keep at it though. That's the ONLY way it gets done. I learned this a long time ago, but only understand the validity of it now, in recent times. That is precisely how I managed to write a draft of a 108,000 word novel (yeah, probably needs some cutting). People have asked me how I managed to do that with a full-time job. The only answer is, I just did. A few hours here, a few hours there. I made it work. And I kept at it. I typed and typed until it was all done. Now I just have to clean it up...which to me is excruciating. That's the hard part. The revision. The writing is fun.

Jack London said, "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." I used to think that ideas for stories would just pop up when I least expected them. If that were the case I'd have no stories. It doesn't work that way. Sometimes, us intrinsic types have to physically come up with an idea. It only needs to be a notion. Creativity will take over eventually. But a true intrinsic will need to seek out the fuel from it's source.

This story I just completed? I decided to come up with a new idea for a story. So, one day while I monitored the students in my class using computers for an assignment, I thought up the story. The characters, the setting, the plot, everything. When I went to write it, it spilled forth. I reached for inspiration, and it arrived.

I only stress this because I've learned how crucial it is. If you will write, then you must. Write, that is.