No more excuses

"I need to work on my poetry."
"What about that other story I started?"
"Maybe I need to research a bit more."

No. No. No. I'll do anything to avoid starting my novel, but this story has been on my mind for three years and I've read almost every book I could possibly read in the name of research. There's nothing left to do but write.

Many people say we make excuses and put off writing (or whatever our passion happens to be), not because we actually have more important things to do, but because we're scared. I'm not going to pretend that's not true, because it is! I *am* scared. I'm scared of the whole process and all the work and isolation it's going to involve. I'm scared nothing will even come out. All the beautiful images. The perfect movie in my head. It's not going to happen like that, but I have to remember:

~ It's okay to write crap. I will write and not edit. Just let everything flow out first, no matter how horrible, then go back and put the pieces together.
~ If When I finish this story, that doesn't mean my job is over. Prepare for years of rejection, tons of rewrites, lots of crying.
~ When I feel like giving up, don't! This story is meant to be. There's no time like the present to write my first book.

To anyone who is reading this, please hold me accountable to my words.

Like that Gwen Stefani song says, "Whatcha waiting for?"



~Update~

Just saw this quote from Ernest Hemingway. It's so appropriate for this post, and it made me laugh out loud :)

"The First Draft of Anything is Shit"