Everyone thinks they have a great story to tell. Many people genuinely do. But how many of us have thought of a story idea we know for sure could be “the one,” only to shove it to the backs of our minds and proceed not to write the story we’re so sure could be the one that gets us published?
There’s nothing wrong with believing you have a good story in you. What sets successful, working writers apart is their ability to actually sit down and write the stories inside them. It’s a skill that requires a lot to put into practice, but first, you have to learn and understand something essential: Perfect writing does not exist.
Too Many Aspiring Writers Worry About Writing Perfectly
You don’t have to consider yourself a perfectionist to let your desire for writing perfectly stop you from actually writing. In fact, I’ve edited and coached many writers who are really good at what they do! But they get so caught up in trying to polish and revise every sentence as they’re writing that some of them, sadly, find themselves giving up before they get around to finishing what they started writing.
If this is you, I have good news! You’re not alone. Often, we’re so used to reading published books and articles that have (hopefully) gone through numerous rounds of editing that we forget a very critical fact: Those are not first drafts! Every first draft is messy, imperfect, and sometimes difficult to read. Your writing, currently, hasn’t been edited yet. And at the moment, that’s not your job. Your job is writing. Preferably badly, because that means you’re at least doing the work.
The Only One Stopping You From Telling Your Story is You
I know, I know. There are dozens of reasons why you might not have finished your WIP yet. Life happens. You get sick. Something in your house breaks. You have to travel (maybe because you want to; maybe because you have to). These aren’t excuses so much as totally normal, realistic writing roadblocks. But if you’re granted opportunities to write, and you don’t take advantage of them — regardless of the reason — really, you’re the only one at fault there.
At the end of the day, when you put in the effort to make writing possible but don’t make it happen, that’s on you. So what if you don’t feel ready, or you don’t think your work is good? Who cares if you’re sitting down to write and suddenly don’t feel like doing it? There’s only one way the story gets written. You. You’re the one who has to do the thing!
Make a Plan, Set a Goal, and Write Something Bad!
If you’re going to finally get that story out of you, you need a plan. Well, first you need a goal — in this case, maybe it’s to “write the story already!” Then you need a plan — something that’s going to help you execute your goal. You’re going to work on your story for 15 minutes every weekday morning, for example.
A lot of people don’t like their writing time to feel structured, but it makes all the difference if you’re really set on achieving a goal like writing a book or publishing an article. You have to treat your writing sessions like meetings or appointments. Schedule them, put them on your calendar, and commit to them consistently. And make writing badly a priority — because making okay writing excellent comes later. Drafting comes first.
Now! Go! Do it! Write!!
Meg Dowell Writes 