Dave Baldwin

Writing was never meant to be a struggle, nor was it meant to be quick and easy. It seems that beginning writers often believe exactly the opposite.

Too often, one can find a writer struggling to motivate himself to write. Other writers exert their fullest creative force devising the perfect strategy or concept for a book. They all believe the same thing: that if they impose enough pointless suffering on themselves, it will result in a brilliant flash of insight, after which the process of writing will suddenly become a cakewalk. The idea that a flash of inspiration will carry you downstream and spare you the trouble of consistent hard work is nothing but a nice bedtime story.

Inspiration sometimes comes in quick bursts, but they are irregular. The more regularly you go to work on your writing, the more you’ll be able to make use of the bursts. A creative burst is divine inspiration showing up on your doorstep to find out if you’ve prepared for the challenge. Inspiration is a signal to step up your game and start working harder.

When you take your cue and begin to write every day whether you’re inspired or not, magic begins to happen. You’ll find yourself strangely compelled to write, even though you have no great ideas and no energy left. You’ll feel as if you can’t help but to show up and write. There will be times when you sit at the keyboard with nothing to say, and then the words start flowing. When you respond to inspiration by pedaling harder, buckle in. The ride gets exciting from there.

You will begin to experience a new intensity that may be unbearable at first. It will be uncomfortable, and it will be demanding. You will adjust to it over time, and you’ll soon become the kind of writer who can’t wait to write. You will write like your life depends on it, because you’ll realize that it does.

People and events will start lining up in perfect ways. Opportunities will appear at ideal times, in the right sequences. You will experience a metamorphosis of the soul, and you will start to see a new vision for your life. It is that vision which will compel you to write every day. It is the writing process that will give clarity to your life vision.

It’s an upward spiral, and it’s a thrill. All you need to do is throw yourself in.