I didn’t write yesterday. I organized some things I’d already written, but I didn’t write any thing on here or do any brainstorming. I think that’s okay, though. I think that part of making this work is allowing myself to make a few mistakes, and miss a few days. If I’m beating myself up every single time I don’t write or don’t produce, then it stops being fun and starts becoming something I’ll hate. I don’t want to hate writing and creating. I think, when I’ve made this type of commitment before, that I’ve allowed myself to feel guilty if I wasn’t perfect and writing every day. It can’t be like that. Life is just that, life. It is messy and it gets in the way and it distracts me from what I’m trying to do. The good news is that every day I wake up is a new day to start trying to get through one chapter, one storyline, one plot twist, one … whatever. So, today is a new day. I’m writing something new right now. It isn’t perfect. It may not even make sense, but it is new and it is different and it is mine. Jasper Fforde, my favorite writer of all time, gave out some advice to writers. He said:
“Do it for fun. Do it for yourself. Do it because you want to write. Writers write because they can’t stop. The scribble notes in books, write poetry, jot down good snippets of dialogue and generally exist in their own little world. Write, write, and write some more. Write what you want to write, no matter how daft it seems. Don’t be frightened of dumping a sentence, character, chapter or book and starting again. When you’ve finished one book, write another. You’ll be surprised how much better the second on is to the first. Above all, enjoy it. Even if you never find a publisher, you’ll still have been on a wonderful adventure.”
He’s right. Writing should be fun, and it shouldn’t be something that has to always be perfect. My biggest struggle is trying to forget that it is okay if the first, second, third, or even fourth draft isn’t perfect. It will be rough around the edges. There will be cheesy lines. I will create ridiculous characters and plots. The most important thing is to just keep writing, no matter what. Just keep writing, “no matter how daft it seems.” I think if I can remember those words, that, in the end, I will realize that making a commitment to write no matter what will turn out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Journey to Print 