For the past few months I have been missing in action... More specifically, I have been missing from this blog site.
There is a good reason for this. A reason that may have been causing some annoyance for the person with whom I live. The reason for my idleness is simply this: I have been writing!! (Why would this cause him annoyance? you ask. And I'll answer: You'd be annoyed too if every few hours someone asked you "you want to hear what I just wrote???")
If you have spoken with me in person through the course of the past year, I must have mentioned to you that I have been mulling over a Science Fiction story. A whole lot! I may have given you some of the highlights. And if you asked me some more questions about it, I probably spent ten or so minutes giving you the intricate backstory and some tidbits about my main characters.
If we had this conversation a few months ago, you would have asked me for a few chapters and I would have said: "Sorry... I haven't yet started writing it..."
The truth is, I was scared. In my mind, the story I imagined had such depth and complexity that I was afraid my writing skills may not be (how can I put this?) developed enough to carry it. The thought that I would start writing and (through my mediocre technical skills) butcher my perfectly awesome story, kept me from even trying.
Then, a few months ago, we vacationed in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. Some hiking, lots of fresh air, and suddenly I could think clearly again!
If I don't write MY story, who will???
So I started typing and yanked chapter one out of me in a matter of a few days. Let me tell you that starting to write is the hardest part. Once I got going, the chapters started flowing.
Two nights ago, I finished Chapter 5! And last night, I started chapter 6. And as I was wrapping up my writing session and putting laptop to sleep, I thought: "What better way to stay motivated and on track with my writing than to share it on my blog site!"
If you've been thinking about a writing project, stop thinking!! Get to writing. And if you have trouble just dropping everything for the sake of the blank page, my recommendation is simple:
Go on a hike! A long tiring one. Somewhere beautiful and spectacular. Breathe in the fresh air, marvel at the beauty of nature, and simply feel alive! For me, this was precisely what I needed to push me over the edge fear and self-doubt into simply writing!
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