Sometimes the silliest things can throw a wrench in the process of writing. Not having the ‘best’ word for a sentence, getting frustrated because we know the message is falling flat, or somehow disjointed and not properly conveying the message or scene.
Write anyway. You must take action and create a consistent healthy habit in order to reach your goals.
“Strive for progress, not perfection.” -unknown
Everyone needs this reminder from time to time because it is so easy to let perfection issues creep in and erode our consistent daily writing efforts that add up to pages and pages of progress. After more than forty novels, I’m still astounded at how my word count goal for the book seems daunting at the start, but after a week or two of chipping away at the daily minimum, suddenly it feels doable.
That progress is an essential ingredient in my writing career. Whenever I get overwhelmed by the rest of the business, I realize that what I can control is my progress – and remembering that the progress doesn’t have to be perfect the first time around, keeps me going.
The 100×100 challenge I often talk about epitomizes this essential truth of writing. The challenge is to write 100 words a day (minimum) for 100 days straight. If you miss a day, start the count over. This challenge will help you build a progress-driven writing habit that can empower all of your writing goals. Set a daily or weekly goal that suits your available time and create the habit of writing.
When you’re writing, don’t stop because you can’t find the perfect word, write the word that comes to mind and leave yourself a mark or a note so you can make that word, sentence, or paragraph stronger later. What you learn through the process of finishing your book will allow you to make stronger improvements when it is time to revise.
In writing, the progress is as essential to our growth as the end result.
Live the writing adventure!
26Sep2018
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