The Hardest Thing About Writing Is…
Posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013
The hardest thing about writing is…
“I’m not ready.”
“Everything isn’t perfect.”
“I don’t have a product or a unique offering yet.”
“Who wants to hear from me?”
“I have nothing to say.”
“I’m scared.”
You’ve heard yourself say these things, all these things at one time or another.
(Thank you, Patti Stafford, for listing these thoughts… MY thoughts. You’ve been reading my mind again, haven’t you!?)
If you’ve ever been stuck, that’s S-T-U-C-K… be sure to read Patti’s blog post about how you can “start from where you’re at.“)
Patti has joined Tiffany Dow’s 30 day blogging challenge to urge us all to write… just write. That’s all. We don’t have to think big. We don’t have to have big plans. We don’t even need to know where we’re going with this bloggy bloggy stuff.
All we have to do is WRITE!
Okay, Patti and Tiffany… I can do this! I can write, just as long as I don’t have to be perfect.
I may have nothing to say.
I may have nothing to recommend, sell, review, or give away.
I may not be ready.
I may just be frickin’ scared.
Oh, good heavens, where’s my wine?
I like to write. I just have trouble writing. This is the rest of the quote…
“The hardest thing about writing is, writing.”
~ Nora Ephron ~
So, no, it’s…
not the fear
not perfection
not even having nothing to say…
it’s the writing… just the writing.
Thank you, Tiffany, for throwing down the challenge.
Thank you, Patti, for taking it up and giving me the nudge I needed.
Well, here we go!
p.s. Hey, guess what? If I don’t like the way this blog post looks tomorrow, I can change it! Yippee! That’s the beauty of blogging. So, who’s with me? Comment below to let me know what you’re blogging about today.
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Love it, Patti!
The hardest part about writing is…writing. I’ve been writing for years but I still struggle with it and I get burned out, especially writing boring PLR articles. (Don’t tell anyone I said PLR was boring. LOL) But this blog challenge has been fun and fun writing is much easier than just writing.
You can do this! We can do this. Let’s kick some butt!
Thank you, Patti! Don’t you just love that quote? It’s so dang true! I can come up with a gazillion reasons why it’s so hard to write, and it all just boils down to that one thing… writing. That’s it. No mystery. No deep thoughts. Just writing. sigh.
And, yeah, there’s writing, and then there’s writing. I think this challenge will help me get over the idea that everything I write has to be some sort of epiphany. Sometimes it’s the ordinary days that are the most noteworthy. Okay.. there’s an epiphany. Maybe something to run with, eh?
Thanks again, Patti, for being my catalyst (inspiration!) for my blog post and for my taking this writing challenge. 😀 And, thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
You GO girls! Fun writing is, well, fun!
Thank you, Peg! It is fun. Just got to get those fingers movin’ is all! 😉
I do believe the Jane Yolen” Butt in Chair.” I make up all kinds of excuses. I’ve got a novel revision I’m five months late digging into. Sigh. Thanks for the push! Blogging is easier! Love the variety. If one topic doesn’t hit you, move on to another.
Thank you, Barbara. For me, instead of the “Butt in Chair” it’s way too often the “BUT in Chair”… BUT I don’t know what to write. BUT I don’t have anything important to say. BUT everyone else is so much better than I am. But I’m no expert on anything. etc. etc. etc.
Thanks for all the support you have given me, Barbara. You help take away my ‘buts.’ 😀
Nicely said! Yes, butt in chair, writing, writing.
But there’s a lot of writing done in the shower, walking, driving, etc. too but you still have to find the time and discipline to put it on paper (screen.)
Thank you, Lisa! I need one of those waterproof recorders in my shower. I ‘write’ some of my blog posts in there. I have figured out how to use the recording app on my iphone, but so far have used it only for grocery lists. I think it may be time to figure out a way to strap it to my helmet so I can record while bike riding. 😉
My best ideas have come from driving in the car lately. The challenge is to REMEMBER the ideas to then write them down! I am sometimes amazed at how thoughts just randomly pop in to my head. I guess the challenge is to clear away the muck so that these thoughts can be generated. A challenge indeed!
Thanks, Judy. Yes, definitely a challenge. I have figured out how to use the ‘voice app’ on my iphone recently. I didn’t even know it was there until I saw somebody making a grocery list on their phone. Cool! Maybe one of those voice-activated recorders would be better. That way I wouldn’t have to REMEMBER to get my phone and push the button to record a thought. Chances are, the thought would be gone by the time I did those two steps. A voice-activated recorder would just start… oh, but that could be bad. I might not want every word I utter to be recorded. tee hee! Thanks for stopping by to read and share your thoughts, Judy.
This is so right on for anyone who loves to write but is so hindered by all the forces messing with us: perfection, fear of embarrassment, expectations, and simply: EXCUSES, PROCRASTINATION …. oh, don’t we know this all and yet, it’s so powerfully messing with us!
Ok, “butt in chair, writing, writing” – thanks Lisa Winkler, you and Patti, keep kicking my butt into the chair!! LOL You all are quite an inspiration!
Thanks, Ute, for reading and taking the time to comment. See, you commented! That’s writing. HUGS! And you make some awesome points – perfection, fear, embarrassment, expectations – all excuses to procrastinate. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have more to say AND I’ll write it much better than I can today. sigh.
Okay “butt in chair” and no “buts” when I get there. 😀
Thanks again, Ute. I sure appreciate you!
I may have nothing to say.
I may have nothing to recommend, sell, review, or give away.
I may not be ready.
I may just be frickin
Thank you, Barney! THAT is an encouraging thought. I often think everyone else must believe they have something to say. Everyone else must be ready and confident. Thank you for reading and commenting. I feel better already! 😉
Who’s ready and confident? Not me! So glad you took the nudges on board, Patti. What a lovely down to earth blog! Keep at it!
Thank you, Shan! Isn’t it great to share our feelings? I always feel like I’m the lonely-only out here with my fingers hovering over the keyboard, unable to move. I know this challenge will be a big help. I already feel the support. I may not post a blog every day, but I will get those thoughts out of my head and onto paper without worrying so much about how it turns out. Surprise! I think this thing could work!!! 😀
You’re welcome. I’m having a blast. Who knew that writing could be so much fun. I’ve been writing as a j.o.b. for so long that it hasn’t been all that much fun. This is fun! This is what it’s all about.
Hi Patti, Haven’t talked with you in a while! How you been? This was a great article and I could relate. I procrastinate, hesitate, and ruminate until I finally just sit down and DO IT! Then I find that usually the words and sentences and paragraphs just start spilling out. I just need to start! After each blog post, I say to myself, “see how easy that was?” I feel good and confident, until I feel it’s time for another post and then I procrastinate, hesitate and ruminate all over again!!
Hi Nina! Thanks for stopping by, reading, and especially for your great comment. You said it. Even after the “see how easy that was?” moment, we still start the process all over again the next time. If the process of writing is meant to be difficult, well then it’s doing a pretty darn good job at it! Thanks again.
You guys are great! It’s as if you were reading my mind. I want to establish a blog, BUT–there it is.LOL! I read all the comments and I thank you for voicing your fears, etc. I actually don’t love to write; however, I’m willing to learn to love it. Reading what you had to say has been an inspiration. So, I’m going to just jump right in and learn to swim later.:o) I hope to be as good as you all are one day.
awwww… thanks Gloria. It’s so kind of you to say. I look forward to reading your blog someday. Soon?
😉
I’m still learning to ‘swim’… I picture my writing as more of a doggy paddle than anything. tee hee!
Thanks again. Come back again, please!
The herdist thinh about rioting fir me is my crazy truck finkers! ;). Also. It’s all tha wirds an the itty bitty sentences involbed.
Higs! (or Hogs as auto core prefers). Ima women, hear me rear!a
You crazy girl! 😀 Thanks Carole – aka Bratz23!