4 Steps to Start Writing NOW
It is harder to eat the junk food than not to eat it.
This is a statement I heard on a podcast about weight loss. The basic idea is that I will expend more energy getting the food and putting in it my mouth than not doing that.
Makes sense. Of course what’s hard about not eating the junk food is all of the urges, cravings, social pressure, and saliva filling my mouth at the mere mention of certain items. (doritos? wine? chocolate truffles? yes,yes, YES.)
It feels like a lot of work to not eat that stuff. But I know that the work is in my head.
I would offer that the same is true for not writing vs. writing.
We spend a LOT of energy on not writing, don’t we? Buying new journals, reading books about writing, talking about writing, taking classes, reading blogs (ahem)…
saying someday, someday, someday…
What if we just sat down and just … did it?
Here are your four steps. It will take you less than a minute to do them if you don’t argue with yourself. (oooooh, that’s harder than it sounds, I know. But give it a try.)
Step 1: Decide to. I am going to write today.
Step 2: Decide when. I am going to write today at 1 p.m. for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Decide what. I am going to write today at 1 p.m. for 20 minutes about the time I went roller skating with Donna.
Step 4: Decide to follow through. It’s 1 p.m. There are a million reasons why I might not write right now.
But I said I would do it so I’m going to do it.
What would happen if we just … write? What dreams are possible? What goals are achievable?
Go forth and write. Your stories are waiting.
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