Belief

Tonight I'm going to touch on a subject that as writers we all face. Writing a book, a short story, or a novella is hard. It is not something that is easily done. Most times when you come in and sit down to your desk, or your laptop to write the task seems daunting. Insurmountable.

Questions pepper your brain.

"Where to begin?"
"I must be off my rocker."
"This is too hard."
"I suck."
"Who am I? What makes me think I could write? I'm wasting my time, and there is tons of laundry left to do."

"I really, really, suck."

And the list of doubts goes on and on. It's easy to open internet explorer and go browse your friends blogs, get lost in you tube, or bury yourself in research. All forms of procrastination.

You have to push past the doubts. You have to be firm. Believe in what your doing. You have to love it. Cherish it. Curse it. Whine about it. Crumple up tons of wasted words and throw them away.

But beyond it, beyond all those self doubts, you have to push through it. Write. Even if it's drivel. Even if it's brilliant.

Writers write.
Writers write until THE END.

Period. It's how we learn. It's how we grow in our craft. Over the last few years I've faced many internal blocks, mostly of my own making.

But it really comes down to a few simple truths.

1) Write for yourself.
2) Love what you're writing
3) Be dedicated. Even if you only eek out 500 words per night, keep the
story fresh in your mind.
4) Remember that those doubts are going to plague you and push them aside.
5) Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.
6) Write. Write. Write. Write.

The story is everything.