Stop Waiting and Start Writing

You know one thing I've noticed lots of writers doing, especially early on in their journey? Waiting. They wait for the weekend to arrive. They wait for clarity to suddenly appear. They wait until their qualified (whatever that is) or confident or a ‘real’ writer.

Worst of all, they wait for inspiration to strike.

Honestly, it feels a bit like sitting in your living room waiting for the Uber you never actually called. It’s not going to come if you don’t call it - and this big, mysterious thing called inspiration is exactly the same.

You ever see that meme that says if you’re waiting for inspiration to strike, then you’re a waiter, not a writer? It may feel harsh, but it’s true.

One of the biggest things - if not the biggest thing that I see holding writers back, the thing that halts progress, is waiting.

You’ve got to stop waiting.

The thing about waiting for things to be just right is that we end up waiting forever. The perfect moment never arrives. You think only a couple of days have passed, but suddenly it’s a month, a year, and then that project you loved so much is gathering dust, and you’re left wondering what happened.

Waiting is a project killer.

And believe me, I get it. I really, really do. Life gets in the way. Doubt butts in and pulls on the reins. Imposter syndrome whispers its dirty little lies. Overwhelm makes us feel like there’s no way we could climb that mountain.

But here’s the thing, and you'll have heard me say it a million times:

You don't need to leap up the whole staircase. You just need to take that first step.

Slow progress is better than no progress, right?

That means allowing yourself to write a messy paragraph instead of a perfect chapter. It means adding a sentence here and there and being pleased that another tiny building block has been put in place. It means sitting down for ten minutes if you can’t manage an hour.

Sometimes, these small steps lead to big leaps, and that’s awesome. But do you know what is just as powerful? When one small step leads to the next small step, then the next and the next - because when you take enough of those small steps, you’ll reach the top.

That’s how you finish your book. One step at a time.

So this week, I'm not giving you a writing tip. Instead, I'm giving you a writing challenge.

Take one step, no matter how small, towards your writing goal.

That might be adding 100 words to your WIP. It might be clearing your desk ready for writing. It might be brainstorming ideas.

Whatever it is, it’s time to stop waiting.

Want to share it with me? Hit that comment button and let's chat.

Happy writing!