It’s summer.
The kids are underfoot.
The house is a mess; it’s noisy, too.
The garden is a tangle of weeds and the blueberry bushes are so full, the berries are bending the branches low enough for the mice to feast.
I drank too much wine last night; I can’t think clearly.
I’m not feeling it.
I’m tired.
I’m sick of this story.
I’ll just take today off.
What’s the point?
That’s just a small sampling of my excuses. What are yours?
There’s never a good time to write, but if you’re a writer that really doesn’t matter—write.
Some days the words circle your head like invisible gnats, and while you can hear them buzzing, you can’t catch them—write.
Other times the grocery list and the thank you notes are nagging around the edges of your brain; they can wait another day—write.
Even when you have nothing to say and what you do want to say is everything you wish you’d said to someone who belittled your belief yesterday – write.
Maybe the only coherent thought you have is, I hate this. Write.
As Elmore Leonard, arguably one of the most successful, working class writers, puts it—
“I don’t believe in writer’s block or waiting for inspiration. If you’re a writer, you sit down and write.”
What are you waiting for?
Sit down and write.
My Life in Paragraphs 