Falling in love with the process

It can happen – you love to write, but the frustration of an assignment, the wrath of a publisher or the overwhelming chaos of your to-do list can make you slowly fall out of love with your craft. It starts slowly, like a relationship starting to sour. One day, you find yourself going through the motions. The next you’re dreading the keyboard. Eventually, you take a hiatus – maybe never to return.

There is a way to head all of this off at the pass.

The single most important thing you can do is stop multi-tasking. You can’t sew a button without paying close attention, can you? Why do we think we can cram the beauty of a complex, intricately woven story into a box like it’s something we can check off and be done with?

Nope, we need to allow our time for writing to be an uninterrupted slice of life where we permit ourselves to fully let go and experience. Think of it like meditation, or making love, or prayer. Throw yourself into it fully. Turn on some mood music, darken (or brighten) the room, wear comfortable clothing. Maybe light some candles. Enjoy the experience.

I typically pray before I write, asking to surrender myself and let the story write itself as it should. I have friends who exercise, chug some espresso or wear a special sweater – whatever works for you.

Whatever you do, allow yourself to embrace the writing process so you can honor, respect and love it. Your readers will notice.