I marvel at the way inspiration ebbs and flows in the mind. Some days I can’t stop typing, and words spill over the brim of my thoughts like flood waters. Other times, my brain coagulates like a molasses pool, the words sticking to the sides no matter how hard I try to free them. I have no control on the fluctuation of the muse, except maybe in what I choose to eat or whether I manage sufficient sleep or not. What I do have control over is the consistent attempt to sit in the chair and write. Two words are better than none.
If I have to edit my work anyway, I might as well have something to edit, right? Having a bunch of garbage on the page is comforting because I don’t write perfect works the first time around anyway. I write and then I make it better.
My case here is that our thoughts may not be perfect, but our discipline can be. And the more we practice, the better we become.
So what if our attitude stinks? What if we give up even before we start? You have just as much choice to return to your desk as you do to leave it. The Internet is full of tools that can help us to turn the difficult days into constructive ones. Still, even research can be distracting and take us from the path of getting our words on paper. Write. It’s as simple as that.
I have to set goals of at least X amount of words every day before I shut down the computer. I don’t have to set unrealistic goals either. My blood pressure rises whenever I read about someone writing 4000 words during a single session. I don’t work that way. I’m a slow writer, so if I choose to meet my goals at 100 words during an hour’s time, I’m okay with that. Do whatever is comfortable for you, but just do it. The practice of disciplining yourself will become habit and you may find at the end of the day you are closer to the finish line than you expected. It’s your choice, but the time to start your discipline is now. Enough said.
