They say cliches exist for a reason -
because they're TRUE. That old saying of writing every day is no
exception. I find that if I don't work
those creative muscles, they atrophy.
Like any other muscle in the body, if we 'let it go,' we forget how to
use it. Even if you can't muster up
ideas for your current project, engage in a different writing exercise. If you only write several sentences, it can
sometimes spark more to follow. Before
you know it, your words are flowing across the page...or computer
screen...whichever method you prefer.
On day at work, as I sat in my car at lunchtime, I saw a
beautiful butterfly flit across my path.
I wrote down a few things about the experience...how wonderous nature is,
noting the different colors in its wings, and how it floated through the
air. Once I was done, I'd realized I had
another IDEA for a portion of my current manuscript.
I'm the type of person that's too easily distracted. If I allow myself to miss one day of writing,
a month will then pass, and I'm looking at a blank computer screen...no new
ideas...just stuck in my story. That gets
me nowhere if my dream is to be published.
Books don't write themselves. Even famous authors have to sit down
and slog through a manuscript the same
way the rest of us do. They're no
exception, and I've read that even THEY suffer with writer's block from time to
time.
I've become more observant....that truck with the squeaky
trailer that passes me by in traffic...the sound of the waterfall in a building's
lobby...all become a sentence, and in no time,
a paragraph.
Even if you're not a writer - notice the world around
you, and it becomes a more interesting place.
Nice writing Dawn, I totally agree! I've never tried to be published, but I've written articles over the years that I thought might be good enough to be published, but never had the nerve to even try. The last several years, I can't get any thoughts or words together to even come close to an article. I think that's one of the reasons I support you so much. I see and feel your passion for writing. I just know you'll accomplish that one day. I don't care how long it takes you, I just know it'll happen!
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