Love Writing Again – Is This Possible?
Years ago I dreamed of being a writer, yet I did little writing of my own. Imagining myself as a writer of screenplays and novels gave me hope that my life would somehow be complete if I became a writer. I spent a summer as an intern for a production company in Los Angeles years ago, and this experience of spending time with both staff and freelance writers made it all seem even more glamorous and appealing to me. I was an avid reader, and many times what I was reading motivated and inspired me to write. Yet I was not consistent with my writing until I came online in 2006.
As an entrepreneur I realized immediately that I was going to need to write every day for some aspect of my business. Whether it was blogging, emailing my list, writing articles and short reports, or writing a book, the concept of being a writer was one that I had to embrace if I were to be successful in my business.
After now having written more than two thousand blog posts, almost a hundred short reports, ten thousand email messages, and twelve bestselling books, I decided that it was high time to start to love writing again. I happened upon a post written by Melissa Chu, someone who helps writers to get productive and develop good work habits. She makes some excellent points here, including this section on Reshaping Your Daily Routine…
1. Reshape your daily routine
“Having a routine is immensely helpful in making writing a habit. When Ernest Hemingway wrote, he made sure to keep to a schedule. “I write every morning as soon after first light as possible,” he once said in an interview. “There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write.”
Now is the perfect time to look at your schedule and figure out how to carve out time to write. Maybe you write better in short spurts throughout the day. Or perhaps blocking out an hour in the morning works better?
For me, it’s become a daily habit. Even if I don’t wake up feeling the urge to write, it’s just something I do automatically. Using an hour or so that I’ve blocked off, I write regardless of how I feel, knowing that I’ll eventually get into the mood to write if I just get started.
Make a commitment to write something today, no matter how much (or how little).”
Once I began thinking of my writing as a daily activity, and not as a task or chore, I began to love writing again. It is a daily gift I give to myself, and the result is a body of work I never could have imagined when I began my online business. My writing has opened an untold number of doors for me over these past ten years and for that I will always be grateful.
How has the process of writing and publishing your words benefited your life and your business?
