struggling to write? set a timer

A conundrum: you want to write, but you just can’t get yourself to sit down and actually do it. A solution: set a timer.Yes, seriously. The thing about setting a timer is it gives your anxiety something to do (watch the clock!) while you get on with making your art. If you know you only have to write for ten minutes, the task of writing a novel suddenly seems much more manageable. Ten-minute writing sessions add up. And ten minutes spent writing is so much better than zero minutes spent writing.I use this technique all the time. If I don’t want to write, I set a timer for ten or twenty minutes, and I do it anyway. By the time the alarm goes off, I’ve either gotten over the anxiety I had about writing, or I’ve at least accomplished one small thing: some words on the page. Which means I have something to work with.So, the next time you feel resistance to your work? Set a timer. And let me know what you do when you’re struggling to get yourself to write. I’m always excited to hear other writers’ strategies.