Fantastic Fridays: Keep Trying

It’s really important not to get discouraged by a single day’s writing (or lack thereof.)

Even if the words are misbehaving and refusing to get on the page, you have to keep trying.

And I don’t just mean ‘trying to write’, although that is obviously important, I mean trying in all sorts of ways.

Try to focus on your process

All writers need a reminder to focus on their process, not on the final product. This is especially true in the early stages of a project when thoughts of how it will turn out can seriously derail you. You don’t need to worry about where it will be published, whether your mother will like it, or whether you will be able to go on tour, the process of writing is the important thing at this point.

Try to find your own approach

It’s pretty easy to fall for the idea that there is a ‘right’ way to write and if we don’t follow that method, we will fail. The truth is, of course, that while there are some practices that work for lots of people, anything that gets your writing done is a good method. The key is in trusting yourself and trusting your own approach – and that will take practice!

Try to stick with it

Shiny things are everywhere. Distractions, new ideas, unnecessary research, all of those things can lead you away from the work of getting your story on paper. Some of them (research, new ideas and the like) even feel like writing but they aren’t the writing you need to be doing right now.

Keep Trying To Write

It can be frustrating and challenging to get your words out of your head and into your story. But, returning to the page over and over again is the only way to get past the frustration and rise to the challenge of writing.

Your frustration is not a sign that you shouldn’t be writing, it is a sign that you are a normal writer. Committing to your project, even a few words at a time, will get you where you want to go – even if you don’t move as fast as you would like.

Write on!

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Christine Hennebury’s storytelling career began when she was four and her parents didn’t believe her tale about water shooting out of her nose onto the couch – they insisted that she had spilled bubble solution from the empty jar in her  hand. Luckily, her skills have improved since then. Christine lives in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada where makes up stories, shares stories, and coaches other people who are working on stories (and other things). Find out more about her work and her coaching practice at christinehennebury.com  or visit her on Facebook.