Hello internet.  It has been a long while.  I keep telling myself that I need to get back on here and write things, and then I psych myself out thinking that my first post back on my blog needs to be perfect and then I chicken out and don’t do it at all.  It’s an endless cycle, and a really stupid one at that.

Thus said, I wanted to share something that’s really been inspiring me the past few months.  I’ve been trying to write more and more, and therefore read more and more, and generally be a more productive individual.  I have goals I want to accomplish, gosh darn it, and I’m going to do it.

This is from Stephen King’s book On Writing.  I had, admittedly, never read anything by him up to this point, but I picked it up one day while working at the bookstore and didn’t put it down.  It doesn’t so much give you little nitty gritty details about the inner workings of language, plot, or what-have-you; but it does highlight the fact that writing isn’t an easy thing in a way that managed to convince me to get over all of the useless telling myself that I’m going to do something and actually do it.  My favorite quote:

“…it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner.  If you can take it seriously, we can do business.  If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and do something else.

Wash the car maybe.” (107)

Basically get up, show up, do the thing.  Talking about what you want to write doesn’t get it written.  Saying that I’m going to go do laundry, wash the car, wait till I get a raise at my job, whatever, doesn’t get writing done.  If you want to do it, you need to do it.  Don’t whine about it, don’t dream about it: do it.

Otherwise you might as well be doing something else (like washing the car), because you’re never actually going to write that thing you’re dreaming of writing.  King also says “you must not come lightly to the blank page”, and he takes this idea very seriously.  Being afraid of the blank page, staying away from the blank page, arguing to yourself that your waiting for the perfect idea.  None of this does a thing for your writing.  If you’re going to be too afraid to do the thing, then it’s never going to get done.

While King is talking specifically about writing, this applies to anything.  Know yourself.  Know how you best produce the work you want.  But at the end of the day know that nothing is ever going to happen if you don’t make it happen.

My current word count is 49,637.  I’m aiming for 70/80k, and I’m not really talking about what I’m writing until I have a full draft done.  I don’t really want other voices inside my head (or my writing) at the moment—I will eventually, but not quite yet.  I’m trying to accept the fact that what I’m working on isn’t perfect, but it is mine and I do love it (even if I sometimes hate it).  That, as it turns out, is a terrifying thing to do.