Sometimes truths are simple: water plants routinely and they flourish or write consistently and soon the novel will be finished. Writing is a verb and the key to being a writer is to simply write. Gardeners garden, runners run, and writers write. Travelers travel even if it’s within driving distance.
This is a picture of my garden a few years ago. When I first moved into the house, the garden was a train wreck of wild weeds. The change to this lovely image you see now was the result of consistent gardening. I didn’t think that I had much of a green thumb, but the big ‘eureka’ moment came when I realized that as long as I took care of the plants each week, they thrived.
It’s a simple truth that when you water plants routinely, they live. Writing is, in many ways, not that different. My novels haven’t written themselves – they wait patiently for me to type them out over time.
Wherever you might be in your creative process, be kind to yourself and don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet a milestone. Just keep writing or painting, or singing – just keep doing. Keep showing up, even when it’s frustrating. Writer’s block is only resolved by writing. Writers write – I find that if I get stuck on one project then I switch to another writing project until I’m unstuck and ready to return to the other. Just keep going, writers and artists. 🙂
Julie Manthey 