“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot lately. Why? Because it’s the season for hay fever, runny noses and itchy eyes. In other words, not a great time for me to be inspired. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective and the day), I don’t have the option of playing hooky. I have deadlines and clients who need the words whether I feel like writing or not.
It’s true that writing through a headache fog is not fun or the best circumstances for stellar writing. But it is also true that having something on the page, stellar or not is better than not having it. Words, even poor words, mean I have something to edit, to work with, to make better. Otherwise, I have a blank screen, which is nothing but potential—nothing I can send to the client with a note that says FIRST DRAFT in the largest font I can manage without looking desperate. Not writing means missing a deadline, which I do not do. It’s in my writer code.
Writing requires dedication. To get anywhere with it, you have to keep at it no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you have a headache or a cold. If you are awake and able to sit at a computer, you can write.
No, it may not be great. Who cares? You are accomplishing something—something you can fix later when you have that inspiration or (more likely) a looming deadline.
The point is to write. Write when you feel good. Write when the sun shines. Write when it rains. Write with hot tea, allergy medicine and tissues by your side. Just write.
This is your job…or at least your aspiration. No excuses allowed. Make it happen.
Try to hold yourself to the same standard as most jobs by giving yourself 3-4 weeks vacation/sick combined and no more. Sure, if you are bestselling author who can afford to take more time between books, by all means be the envy of us all. If you are not, however, get back to work.
Keeping this in mind is the only way I can drag myself to the desk some days, but by the end of the day, I am always glad I did.
Now go write.