It's All About The Writing

I will openly say that one if my authors was an inspiration for this post so when she reads this, know that she is not in trouble, it was just an inspiration...

I saw this morning on social media that she had finally created her ultimate work space. It had a planning board, notes, inspirational pictures, all of the writing tools she ever needed. It was gorgeous. I am sure you have seen other people doing this as well. Maybe you are an author who does this as well. You spend countless hours creating that perfect work station.

But here is the thing... It still requires you to sit there and write.

I have always laughed at the number of workshops I have seen that focus on some of the most bizarre topics ever. Yoga and meditation for writers. Aroma therapy to create the perfect characters. Even some of the "writing craft" sessions seem to be missing the mark. "How to create the perfect inspiration board." "Plotting using MS Excel." "Using color coding when drafting."

While all of these ideas are great tools, the one thing most of the writers are missing is that it still requires sitting down and actually writing the story. All of these "gadgets" and "gimmicks" are there to assist you when you run into a small roadblock. These are not tools to actually get the story written.

I am always reminded of a scene from a Kevin Costner movie. In TIN CUP, he is struggling with his

swing. Suddenly, he cannot hit a ball to save his life. What is really happening here is that he focusing on all of these external factors instead of simply "playing golf". For authors, they are doing the same thing. There is this belief that if you have all of these great gadgets, the writing will mysteriously appear.

Sorry to say this, but NOPE!

As an author, I am sure you have heard countless people come up to you and tell you they are "working on a novel." They probably go on and on telling you of how the story is really a great idea but there are all of these reasons why the story is not going to get written. It is not the external reasons why the story is not getting written. It is simply the fact that this person is not going to his or her computer and actually writing.

So, do me a favor. Today, just sit down and write. Quit the gimmicks. Quit the fussing on silly little things. Write the dang story!