Some days I just love writing. I love it when a great idea hits me as I’m driving down the road or vacuuming the living room. It’s a wonderful thing. I literally get goose bumps. (I know, it doesn’t take much to excite me!)
I love it when my creative juices start flowing and my fingers seem to fly across the keyboard. Writing is so much fun on those days.
I especially love writing when I see positive results. Like when I get an email from an editor that says “yes, we’re interested!” or when I open my mailbox and find a glossy magazine with my name printed in the table of contents.
But I’ll be honest. There are also times I don’t like writing. Those are the days when I have no inspiration. No creativity. I just sit at the computer and feel … blah. It’s discouraging. Writing is no longer fun. It’s hard work. Then my annoying inner voice kicks in.
It’s over. Maybe you’ve written a few decent stories, but that’s in the past.
This is a sign. You’re not supposed to be a writer.
I hate those thoughts. They make me feel like quitting. When this happens I hold on tight to one word: commitment. I made a commitment to pursue this writing thing, so committed I will be.
It reminds me of another commitment I’ve made. Marriage.
For the record, I love my husband. Even after twenty years, there is no one I’d rather hang out with. He makes me laugh, sometimes to the point of tears rolling down my cheeks. And every now and then, he still gives me goose bumps.
But we’ve also had our share of “blah” moments. Times that we’ve struggled. Times I didn’t like him. (And I’m sure he felt the same about me.) Marriage wasn’t fun or easy. It was just plain hard work.
However; when those goose bumps disappeared, we didn’t give up. We stuck by our commitment, worked through it and came out stronger. And when my writing gets difficult, I’m not quitting that either.
The other day a UPS guy dropped off a box of Chicken Soup books at my front door. I was so excited. I had two stories published in this particular book. Suddenly, I fell in love all over again. (With writing of course – not the UPS guy!)
The bottom line is this: feelings are fickle. Just as marriages go through periods of blah, so will my writing. The important thing is to keep working at it and not give up. Whether it’s my writing or my marriage, if I honor my commitment, someday those goose bumps will return again.
I love it when my creative juices start flowing and my fingers seem to fly across the keyboard. Writing is so much fun on those days.
I especially love writing when I see positive results. Like when I get an email from an editor that says “yes, we’re interested!” or when I open my mailbox and find a glossy magazine with my name printed in the table of contents.
But I’ll be honest. There are also times I don’t like writing. Those are the days when I have no inspiration. No creativity. I just sit at the computer and feel … blah. It’s discouraging. Writing is no longer fun. It’s hard work. Then my annoying inner voice kicks in.
It’s over. Maybe you’ve written a few decent stories, but that’s in the past.
This is a sign. You’re not supposed to be a writer.
I hate those thoughts. They make me feel like quitting. When this happens I hold on tight to one word: commitment. I made a commitment to pursue this writing thing, so committed I will be.
It reminds me of another commitment I’ve made. Marriage.
For the record, I love my husband. Even after twenty years, there is no one I’d rather hang out with. He makes me laugh, sometimes to the point of tears rolling down my cheeks. And every now and then, he still gives me goose bumps.
But we’ve also had our share of “blah” moments. Times that we’ve struggled. Times I didn’t like him. (And I’m sure he felt the same about me.) Marriage wasn’t fun or easy. It was just plain hard work.
However; when those goose bumps disappeared, we didn’t give up. We stuck by our commitment, worked through it and came out stronger. And when my writing gets difficult, I’m not quitting that either.
The other day a UPS guy dropped off a box of Chicken Soup books at my front door. I was so excited. I had two stories published in this particular book. Suddenly, I fell in love all over again. (With writing of course – not the UPS guy!)
The bottom line is this: feelings are fickle. Just as marriages go through periods of blah, so will my writing. The important thing is to keep working at it and not give up. Whether it’s my writing or my marriage, if I honor my commitment, someday those goose bumps will return again.
