Lots of students tell me they don’t always feel like writing. That’s fine, I say, nothing wrong with that.
However, after a pause, more is revealed… they’ve felt that way for weeks, if they’re honest, maybe even months.
Now that’s a problem.
First thing I always ask is do you really want to be a writer, what’s your why?
A handful have told me they thought it would be cool to be called an author.
It is but if the coolness factor is your only why, you’re not going to stay motivated.
Others have told me, it looks so easy. They’ve had this story in their head for years but now they’ve started to write it…yeah, writing is harder than it looks.
On working through the issue, I’ve found that with about 50 percent of students, it’s a plot that’s running out of steam or characters who aren’t that fun to write about.
The remaining ones are going through a normal process. There are days when you don’t feel like writing. Sometimes it’s we’re too busy or something is going on in our life that distracts us.
I know lots of writers give up the NaNoWriMo challenge because they go through a few days of not wanting to write.
The thing I love most about writing is there are no rules.
No one says you have to write every day. No one takes away your title of author if you skip a day.
If you don’t fit into the categories of writing because it’s cool or it looked so darn easy, then don’t worry, don’t overthink it. Take the day off, read a good book, enjoy a movie, take a walk and return to your story the next day. You’ll still be a writer.