My Writing Declaration of Independence

My talent and this blog have been lying dormant for some time now. As always, there is no excuse. I have been letting life wash over me instead of controlling the flow. I say I want to have a writing practice, and produce work, and I know many ways it can be done. Motivation and inspiration comes in many forms. Today it comes from my dear friend and writing mentor, who after years of teaching about writing practices has created one for herself and it has been transformative. I want to be just like her.

How not to have a regular writing practice:

1. Sit around scrolling on Facebook
2. Give up cable TV, but then spend literally hours on Netflix and Hulu binge watching many seasons of shows
3. Sit around feeling sorry for myself because I have not produced any writing because I don’t sit down and do the work
4. Find a pile of papers I brought home from work because my mailbox is full then sort and resort them
5. Reorganize my bookshelves (all 5 of them) and move books from one to another in new and exciting ways
6. Flip through pictures to find the one I want for this blog post and then spend time putting them into folders
7. Remember a random fact about one of the shows I am binge watching then need to know more about it and go to google it and then end up going down a Youtube wormhole for 2 hours
8. Be scared of silence so I keep Pandora on and get distracted by singing along with my faves

How to have a regular writing practice:

1. Sit down and do the work. Every day.

I like to say I am a writer. There are thoughts and ideas and stories that are lurking just below the surface. What has kept me from putting pen to paper? Fear. What am I afraid of? Everything. Who wants to hear my stories about my life? My random thoughts and opinions?  Why would they care what I think? I thought I had pushed through some of these fears when I was in the Outer Banks earlier this year. There was an amazing gathering of women writers that spent a week creating and supporting and inspiring each other at a retreat I had the privilege of attending this past April, Struck By Writing. I felt like I had been washed clean of those insecurities. Then I returned home and got stuck in the mundane parts of life and the momentum was gone.

Today I am making a statement that I will start and continue a writing practice. Declaring it out loud in the world gives me accountability and a commitment that I cannot seem to make to myself. I should consider myself worthy of making that commitment, but I do not. Until I can, I will commit to you all out there, whoever may be within earshot, that I will sit down and do the work.  Fake it til I make it. I will produce content every day. Sometimes for myself, sometimes for my blog, but always putting words on a page. No distractions. Just a girl and a computer and a cup of coffee.

In anticipation of my success, I would like to say thanks to everyone who supports me and my writing life. I think your faith in me will pay off if I just do the work. And I am declaring to you all right now that I will. Do the work.