Writing.Com General Discussion

I think courage is an appropriate word.

If your writing counts, then failing is always a possibility and that means risk. On top of that, it's a pain in the ass. You have to dedicate time, consistently. You have to create something from nothing, every single time. And you have to dredge up a fair measure of honesty while all the while lying through your teeth. And then you have to grapple with the craft of it all. It's not enough to have something to say, you have to determine the best way to say it. Sometimes I think, "Who needs it. Easier to check out Netflix."

And if you jump through all those hoops, there's still the awful truth that no matter how much effort, study and sweat you put into it, there's no guarantee that you'll ever get anywhere. The only guarantee is that if you don't put in the effort, study and sweat, you absolutely won't go anywhere.

So don't wait for the muse. I find she seldom summons me to the task. But sometimes, when I sit down to the keyboard even though I can't imagine that I'll have a useful word anywhere in my head, and I just face it, she'll show up and open a door here or there.