No writer on Earth is in the mood to write everyday, but the good ones do it anyway. They fight through their fatigue, their stress, their doubt, and they write. They get the words on the page. Period.
-Darynda Jones
Isn’t that the essence of the writing life? To deal with all the stuff of our life – our job, our family, our stress and self-doubts – and find a way to get words onto the page anyway?
When my wife had breast cancer, there were many days when I didn’t want to write. At the end of every day I was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. The tank was empty, and yet the work still needed to be done.
On those days, I would grab my 2-minute sand timer from the local dollar store and tell myself a little white lie.
The Power of Two Minutes: Harness Your Author Mindset to Write Every Day Share on XI didn’t even care what words came out, so long as something flowed through my fingers and onto the page.
Yet something miraculous happened every single time. In two short minutes I changed my state from beat up and worn out to being excited about whatever I was writing.
I never realized when the timer expired. Not once.
The hardest 50,000 words I ever wrote came in NaNoWriMo 2018 as my wife began chemotherapy.
They’re also the words that taught me I can write no matter what terrible things are happening around me or even to me, as I discovered this past year with a health scare of my own, I can still write.
Writing is my sanctuary in good times and in bad.
My daily writing habit ensures that I get something new onto the page, no matter what.
If you’re a writer and you’re struggling with an issue in your life, set aside 30 minutes every day and just write.
The words don’t matter. Writing them does.
Every single day, whether you feel like it or not.
And if you’re going through an immense challenge right now, try my 2-minute timer trick and see if lying to yourself gets you started, as well.
