People will tell you that writing is hard. They’ll tell you that if they don’t write. If they do write. Especially the people who want to write, but don’t. (They complain most of all.)
I am well aware of the fears around writing:
…I’ll never be able to do it.
…If I do it, it’ll probably be terrible.
…No one will read it or buy it.
…If someone does read it or buy it, they’ll hate it and me.
So why bother? Why even try? It’s a lot safer NOT to try, and never to write another thing.
There! Problem solved.
…And yet, why is that an unsatisfying response? Why do scores of people write and millions more want to?
And why are you still reading this?
Because.
You might have an urge to write, to express yourself. And it almost doesn’t matter if it’s hard. Lots of things are hard, by the way: Work is hard. Raising kids is hard. Getting up is hard.
Show me something that isn’t a challenge, and I’ll show you something not worth doing.
But hold up: If writing were so horrible, why would so many people do it?
Writing does not have to be hard. It can feel easy. Fun. Freeing. Like flow. Like ecstasy. It really can—if you’re willing to go there with it, and set yourself free.
Don’t believe me? Don’t want to?
Ok. Struggle if you like.
But. If you’d like to experience writing as release, writing as expansion, not contraction, then try doing it with me for one month. Can you stand me for a month? Maybe.
==> Take 20 minutes to do this writing prompt.
Give yourself a chance to just that much. If you hate it, that’s it! Don’t ever do it again!
But if you love it, imagine what you could create. Just imagine that.
(Want to get a writing prompt every day for a month? Why not? Check out 30 Days on the Page—an audio program designed to keep your pen moving.)