Don’t wait for inspiration – just write!

When I was young and impressionable, I used to make the mistake of thinking that I had to feel "inspired" in order to write. I have learned though, that this is far from the truth. I still fall into that trap every once in a while and I have to force myself to sit down and pound out a few pages of a short story.

So what’s the difference in your writing when you are feeling "inspired" and when you are not: nothing!

I have a book called The Novel Writer’s Toolkit (aff link), by Bob Mayer, and it addresses this very issue. In a section where Mayer discusses not being able to write because of writer’s block, feeling uninspired, etc, he offers this:

Just write anyway. It might be awful, but at least you’re left with something other than a blank page. You’ll be surprised how little difference there is between what you write when you feel motivated and what you write when you’re discouraged. They both come from the same brain" (Mayer 20).

The emphasis on that last sentence is mine. Notice the other point he makes, that you might very well write something awful, but it is still better than a blank page. This means that you must turn off your "inner critic" (that voice in your head that says "This sucks! No one’s going to read this!). I know this is hard to do. Basically, you can’t be afraid to write bad things every once in a while, and for two good reasons:

1) It’s only a rough draft, not set in stone.
2) You’re going to edit it and polish it up later.

Both reasons go hand-in-hand. Very often, writers try to get something perfect the first time and waste valuable energy during the rough draft trying to find that perfect word or get a sentence just right. That’s not the point of the rough draft – the point is just to get your thoughts onto paper. Worry about the details later.

Another reason not to wait to feel "inspired" is more often than not, you won’t feel inspired, and you’ll never get anything done. I can personally vouche for this myself as I have let many short stories die for just such a reason.

You are better off just setting a regular writing schedule and sticking to it – come hell or high water. Whether it’s a chunk of time you set aside for writing or even a goal for writing a certain number of pages, the point is to write every single day. If you do this, you’ll be surprised at your output and because you’re writing on a daily basis, you’ll probably see an improvement in you writing as well.

Related posts

• Write Now, Think Later!
• Don’t be afraid to write!
• Where can you find writing inspiration? Try your nearest bookstore
• Write like you drink: In little sips and large chugs!
• 5 Reasons Why I Write

Read More: Writing Tips