Author’s Note: With thanks to Rick Rubin, Julia Cameron, and all the teachers
It occurred to me recently that I like being on the move. Riding in a car. Biking. Walking. I feel like I’m headed somewhere. Having a new experience. Living. Searching for new adventures. The destination isn’t important. It’s the journey that is the activity, more so than arriving.
Recognizing this got me thinking about how it relates to writing. Is my being on the go a search for inspiration or merely an escape from doing the work of writing? Maybe a little of both, but more likely the latter. There is the inner critic telling me that what I have to say isn’t good enough, that I don’t measure up. Of course, such defeatist thinking accomplishes nothing. Rationally, I recognize that it’s not our job to censor ourselves; otherwise, nothing we have to say will ever see the light of day. But the inner critic is hard to shake and isn’t rational.
When it comes to making time for writing, we have to work around the activities of daily living, things like exercising, eating, doing laundry, and such. There are also so many distractions for our attention, like scrolling through the news and social media on our phone, reading a book, or watching a movie. Of these last two, recognize that somebody else invested the sweat equity to create these works for our edification or enjoyment.
Sometimes when we start writing, we have an idea of where we want to go; sometimes not. Writing has a way of taking on a life of its own, often veering off in directions we hadn’t planned. Only by going on the journey do we find out. It is a process of discovery. As the great Yogi Berra is purported to have keenly observed: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.
Another maxim when it comes to writing is to do a little bit at a time, each day, and it adds up. This was reinforced during a recent car ride home from a nearby town where there is a newly paved section of a rail-to-trail. Eventually, it will connect with miles of trail but for now it is probably no more than a quarter mile in length. So, while it may not be apparent at present, it forms an integral part in the development of the overall project. That is a good way to think about writing, particularly longer work. Big things are built in small sections, one section at a time.
Writing is a commitment, whereas inspiration comes and goes as it pleases. Often arriving at inopportune times, inspired ideas are best captured and written down immediately. Inspiration is magic that we mere mortals can’t conjure, or bring back, no matter how hard we try. As writers, all we can do is commit to doing the work, let our imagination take over, and the path will reveal itself to us. We will never reach our destination if we don’t go on the journey.
Story By Jim 
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