“I can fix anything but a blank page.” –Bonnie Hearn Hill
There is much wisdom in this statement. How can you edit something that doesn’t even exist? You can’t become a bestseller without ever putting the words on the page. That statement might seem extreme, but it’s true. The hardest part of writing is getting something down.
Upon telling a friend recently that I had written a book and was currently in the querying process, she said, “I couldn’t possibly write a book. I don’t have the time!” Truth be told, I didn’t know whether it was a compliment or an insult. Why did I have time to do it, and yet she didn’t? Am I really as busy as I think?
Then I realized that self sabotage is a sneaky little devil. So sneaky, in fact, that you don’t even realize that he has snuck up and dropped a two ton sack of rocks on you, just like they do in the cartoons. Except that instead of a cloud of stars over your head, it is a cloud of doubt. And excuses. No time. It’s too hard. No one would ever publish it.
It was a good reminder to take some time every day to move forward on this journey. Because it’s way too easy to get caught up with life and make excuses instead of face down that little devil called self doubt. Suck it up, dig down deep, and get that story out you know you were born to write.
So, fellow writers, what is it that keeps you from writing? Is it fear of failure? My wish for you today and every day is that you beat down that blank page.
One page at a time.
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