Tag: motivation

Writer’s block?

It’s tempting to search for the best conditions for productivity. The theory goes that we can escape writer’s block if we work at the right time of day, eat the right food, use the right app, listen to the right music (listen to no music?)… And the list goes on.

Unfortunately writer’s block is not a thing.  It is all rubbish. An excuse.

Yes, sometimes you work better than others. But the hard truth is that you are completely alone when it comes to doing good work. It’s not about state of mind or a piece of software.

Instead, writer’s block is a convenient excuse not to expose yourself to criticism. The unfinished novel is never ready for scrutiny, and therefore is always perfect in your mind. And that’s where it remains.

Better to do lots of bad work on your way to a great story than to just shut up shop and blame writer’s block. I believe you just make a start, trusting that hard work (and criticism of poor work) leads to results in the long run. Because it does.

Drafting

Whether you are creating your art “For Position Only” or you are furiously scribbling what you are inspired to add to your novel – Drafting is essential, inevitable, undeniable in the creative process.

Drafting is like gravity. You cannot be anything or create anything meaningful without first having a draft and then grinding it down to a polished article. Start somewhere, show people, and go from there. Keep shipping stuff as best you can, even if it is the unfinished article. The shipping is the important part. You will get better.

And yet….

And yet it is tempting to hide behind the unfinished masterpiece. It’s not ready yet. The report is not good enough, the book is not finished, the song still needs work. Nothing is shipped. Nothing is gained.

Draft like your life depends on it. Because it just might.