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The Key to Writing is to Write
Yet sometimes the planning, edits, distractions, and other issues get in the way.
I know many a would-be writer who has come across the biggest issue in writing: Sitting down to write.
You’d think that as a writer, the easiest part is sitting down to write. Freuquently, it’s not. In fact, it’s often the hardest thing to do. Sit down. Write.
Wait, is that the cat puking? Gotta check. Okay, good to go. Shit, I’m out of coffee. Okay, refilled, set. Oh, I just remembered I need to take my car to the shop. Let me go online and make an appointment to do that. Oh, and while I’m here, let me check my email. Who’s calling me? Why isn’t my music playing? Okay, okay, blank screen. Let’s do this. Crap. I have to pee.
Just because you plan to or intend to sit down to write, doing so can be challenging. Distractions – legitimate and less so – are everywhere. What’s more, even if you write from a plan, facing that blank screen can be daunting. I planned the chapter, but where do I come in with the characters? The story (like the spice) must flow.
The key to writing is to write. And sometimes that’s a matter of far more effort and discipline than you might think. Due to numerous things that can get in the way, actually placing your butt in the chair to write proves the biggest challenge.
Let’s start by addressing some of the most common things that come under this heading.
Planning, distractions, and edits
One very important note before I dive into this: There is NO One True Way™. There’s no singular way to be a writer. My process can be replicated by you, but how I sit down to write might not be the same as how you do. For that reason, the common things that get in the way, for some writers, might not get in your way. I’ll address this further later in this essay.
As written above, there are 3 common things that I find can most get in the way for a would-be writer (and even for a seasoned writer, frankly): Planning, distractions, and edits.
Planning to write
Even if you write primarily as a pantser (i.e., someone who writes by the seat of their pants, little to no outline, just the flow of words when you sit down to write), some preliminary planning might go into your work. You might give a lot of thought to the process before you start to write. My point being, even a pantser (or discovery writer, if you prefer) might spend more time planning to write than sitting down and writing.
For the planner, this can get in the way even more. Some planners create a vague outline, some break things down chapter-by-chapter before committing words to the page. Some planners even create dialogue and partial scenes as part of their plan.
The problem is when you keep tweaking, adjusting, massaging, and reshaping the planning. Before long, you spend so much time planning that you leave yourself no time to write. Planning is great – until it keeps you from sitting down to do the work of writing.
Distractions when you sit down to write
Getting distracted and blown off course is all too easy. Social media can pull you into doomscrolling before you know it. All sorts of things can and will distract you from sitting down to write.
Some are utterly unintentional and innocuous. At least, at first. For example, in the middle of writing a scene, you realize you don’t know the science of something. So you pause, go online, and start researching it. If, like me, you’re inherently curious and love science, before you know it, you wind up going down a rabbit hole. What started as looking up the distance from Earth to Alpha Centauri turns into exploring the history of space flight, which then leads you to researching the Alcubierre warp drive theorem, and on and on. Distraction.
Sometimes, because you aren’t feeling ready or aren’t in the right headspace, you seek distractions and allow them to take you away from sitting down to write. These can be legitimate needs, but often they’re simply a distraction. Recognizing and acknowledging distractions is imperative. If you don’t, they can and will waylay you.
Edits
Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. And close to nothing is truly perfect. You and I are perfectly imperfect beings. This is easy to see but often hard to accept.
When you start to write, you might find yourself tempted to go back and edit what you’ve already done. One piece of advice I frequently offer is this: Keep writing. Write through it. Write to the end. As soon as you go back into a work in progress (WIP) and start to edit, you fall down the well and find more and more to edit. You don’t sit down to write when you are constantly editing.
As with all things, no rule is set in stone. There is a time and place to edit your WIP. If, during the writing process, something significantly changes a prior bit of the story, as in your villain ceases to be the bag guy, you might need to do the edits to make it work going forward.
But, for the most part, edits when you’re in the middle of a WIP get in the way of sitting down to write.
Other common things
There are a few other common things that can and will get in your way when you sit down to write.
Time is a big one. Maybe you have a day job and can only write in dribs and drabs. Perhaps you can only write super early in the morning or incredibly late at night. Time can easily get the best of you and stop you from writing. But as an old, favorite quote from Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit suggests,
“Time is the reef upon which all our frail mystic ships are wrecked.”
Other people are another issue. Spouses, children, or someone you are a primary caregiver for can stop you from being able to sit down to write. This can be infuriating, especially when writing enlivens you. Which brings me to another big issue:
You. If, like me, you sometimes get stuck in your own head, sitting down to write gets extra challenging. Imposter syndrome (who am I to be a writer?), self-doubt, questions of self-worth, and the like, can interfere when you desire to write.
To address this, you need to get out of your head (i.e., your subconscious mind) via active conscious awareness. Mindfulness is how you put yourself in the here and now, be present, and shift your focus so that you can write.
Which brings me back to the original premise of this essay.
The key to writing is to write
I have a set goal of writing 1500 words of fiction a day. On top of that, I write 3 blogs a week. Each time, I face the blank document on the screen and need to find and/or make the discipline to write.
How do I do this? For me, it’s a matter of simply getting started. Find the words, dig deep, get them out of my head and onto the screen. From a plan or by the seat of my pants, I push myself to write and get it out into the world.
For me, this works. Yet still, there are times when distractions, planning, time, and other people keep me from starting. And then there’s the great-granddaddy of all issues: Fear.
What if what I write sucks? What if nobody wants to read this shit? Will my friends and loved ones reject me for writing this? Fear can and will stop you, but mindfulness will help you push past it.
The best way to overcome all of it is to just do it. But how? I have a suggestion or two.
Set a timer
Start small. Set a timer for 2-5 minutes. Close out the rest of the world. Sit down to write. When the timer goes off, write. As you do this more frequently, you can increase how much time you set, and/or you can do sprints throughout the day.
Set a time to write
Set a specific time to sit down to write. Maybe it’s 6:30 am daily. Or noon. If you’re a night owl, maybe it’s 11 pm. Whatever works for you, set the time and sit down to write when you reach it.
Set a word count
Maybe it’s a paragraph to start with. Then 100 words. Then, a page. After that, 2 pages. In time, you set it to 1000 words. And on and on. (While my goal is 1500 words of fiction a day, I often write more than 2000 words as I push to write whole chapters daily).
Refocus
There are lots of ways to refocus yourself. This is an act of discipline. For example, when you’re getting ready to write, set a timer for 2 minutes. Once you start it, take a deep breath in. Hold it for a two-count. Let it out. Repeat it until the timer goes off.
Another idea: Set a timer for 1-2 minutes. Close your eyes and shut it all out while the timer counts down.
One more: Another timer, 1-5 minutes. While the timer counts down, take a walk, do stretches, scream into the void, or do something energetic to clear yourself and create a space to make it easier to sit down to write.
There are numerous other ways to set yourself up to write, but that’s something for you to explore. The most important thing is that the key to writing is to write. Don’t let distractions, plans, edits, other people, or fears get in your way. If you have the desire to write, make it happen. Don’t worry that it’s not perfect; nothing is.
Kick ass, take names. Tell your story.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own authentic creator, whatever form that takes?
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