Writing is Digging Ditches

Writing is grunt work. Writing is digging ditches. Writing is filling holes. Writing is work and often I don’t want to work. People glamorize writing as a magical craft that only those gifted with the touch of the wordsmithing gods are capable of doing.

Anyone can write, but not everyone wants to put in the work. Everyone wants to say they have written a novel. Not everyone will do what it takes to write a novel. There is however, a trick to it.

If you can suffer, you can write. If you can work and drag words out of your head when you don’t want to, you can write.

Here I am writing this blog post when I really would rather be playing the Witcher III (especially since I haven’t started the first expansion Hearts of Stone and another is about to be released) or doing anything else for that matter. But why am I doing this then? Because I’m practicing the discipline of writing a blog post each week, which is something I had set out to do. I don’t always do it due to other commitments, but when I’m home for the weekend I do.

Ok, but why? Because it reminds me that writing is digging ditches and filling holes. Sometimes it’s immensely enjoyable, often times tolerable, sometimes miserable and I-just-can’t-fucking-wait-until-it’s-over.

So if you want to write, learn to be OK with it not feeling good. It’s work and work isn’t always fun.

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