We all know that there are major benefits to exercising. Most of us have probably joined a gym at some point, bought a few workout routine DVDs -- only to have that $50 EFT mock us for staying home as we stare at the disk, which has collected so much dust you may as well use it as a coaster at this point.
I will admit I'm not a health nut. I am among the millions who try, and many times fail, to be better. But I decided enough was enough: I bought a treadmill and put it in the bedroom next to mine. I think about that machine every time I walk to my room. All I had to do was start.
That took about a week and a half. I got that terrible feeling of paralysis, but the dread of starting was actually worse than the exercising!
As a writer, it is easy to feel the same trepidation. What if, when you put the pen to paper, you don't arrive at the great American novel? What if it is the stupidest thing you have ever said?
The first thing you need to do is put aside any expectations. Write them on a post-it, or put them someplace you'll remember. But just as I cannot expect to begin exercising by running a 5k, no writer should put any pressure on themselves as they begin to exercise their writing muscle.
Start small: reflect on your day, do a freewrite, just get in the habit of putting words on a page. The pressure to begin writing can be enormous, so finding out how your writing process begins is one of the biggest steps you can make towards any of the goals you may have.
So kick the dread and just do 15 minutes of the hard stuff every day. Just like when exercising, you will grow stronger by making a commitment to your skills.
You are an inspiration!
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