Lynn Slaughter Novelist
Blogger
Creative Writing Instructor

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

I had one of those crazy weeks where fitting in writing time was a definite challenge. First there were the days working on taxes which unfortunately reminded me that yes, writing really is a business. Then there was the meeting with our tax guy, the health scare for my husband which had a happy ending (no, that lump on the side of his chest is not cancer, just a giant bruise), and finally, a choral rehearsal, board meeting, and my writing up of the minutes. In-between were some emotional discussions with my sons and husband about the horrendous things happening in our country.

Long story short: By Friday, when I finally had a decent block of time to write, the last thing I felt like doing was writing. I was so tempted to tell myself, “You’ve had a hard week. Maybe you should wait until next week to do some writing.”

But if I was going to preach “butt-in-chair” as the only way to have a writing career, I needed to practice it. So, reluctantly, I opened up my work-in-progress and got down to business.

And then, the most amazing thing happened. I got drawn back into my story and wrote more than 1800 new words (1000 is my daily goal). Who knew that would happen? Definitely not me!

This is the strange thing about writing. If we make it a habit, whether or not we feel like writing that day, stuff happens—and books get written, word by word and page by page.

Moreover, one of the lovely rewards is what I call the post-writing glow. I feel better about myself after I’ve written and experience a welcome surge of energy for other areas of my life, especially my relationships with my loved ones (like that sweet man I married).

I’m so grateful for when the magic works—especially when I least expect it.