One word at a time

I came across this and thought I'd share:

"Whatever your purpose, the best remedy for fear of writing, any kind of writing, is the Knickerbocker Rule: ass to chair. If you're afraid you can't write, the answer is to write. Every sentence you construct adds weight to the balance pan. If you're afraid of what other people will think of your efforts, don't show them until you write your way out of your fear. If writing a book is impossible, write a chapter. If writing a chapter is impossible, write a page. If writing a page is impossible, write a paragraph. If writing a paragraph is impossible, write a sentence. If writing even a sentence is impossible, write a word and teach yourself everything there is to know about that word and then write another, connected word and see where their connection leads. A page a day is a book a year." -- Richard Rhodes from HOW TO WRITE: Advice and Reflections

Sometimes I have a really hard time putting words to paper. The words are all floating around in my head, and sometimes, when I'm alone in my car (which is often), I even speak the words out loud. I have written entire stories in my head, and have created characters whose whole lives I know better than my own, and yet, the stories remain like a hidden secret between my car and me. I just have a difficult time writing them down. And sometimes, I do start writing, and I write and write, but then, I don't finish what I had started. So, I have a lot of those, too - unfinished stories waiting for their grand finale.

Nevertheless, I love to write. I love the process of writing. It's just finding the time ... which is the excuse I often give myself. But no more excuses! Rhodes's advice is a good reminder.

I shall take heed!

I shall start writing!