Tips for Writers: Just Show Up!
Your Daily Leap of Faith
Underpinning the encouragement in a previous Tips for Writers, is the fact that a leap of faith is involved in believing you’ll have any idea what to write once you begin. This isn’t about choosing a topic—there are lots of writing prompts available for that. But once you have a topic, what are you going to say about it? Sometimes your leap will be a mere hop over a crack. Other times it’ll be a daredevil Evil Knevel dive across the Grand Canyon. I call it a leap of faith because it means trust.
But trust in whom?
Youm.
If You Desire to Write…
…that desire comes from somewhere. And that same somewhere holds the key to what to write. Sometimes you’ll have notes and ideas up the ying-yang (oh, your poor aching ying-yang). Other days you’ll have nada, zilch, squatarooney.
I’m pretty sure I just made that last word up. But wait–that’s my point! I made it up on-the-spot. As in, I had no idea I would come up with it until I came up with it. As in, when I started writing the sentence I suddenly decided to be silly (a congenital affliction of mine) and write multiple synonyms: nada, zilch, squat. And then it occurred to me to make it even sillier by adding “-arooney.”
Yeah, I know, it’s not really all that clever. But it does illustrate my point: I didn’t come up with it until I showed up.
So Take the Leap
The worst that can happen is you’ll plunge to your metaphorical death, and plunging to your metaphorical death isn’t really all that bad. Trust me, I’ve done it many times. In fact, when I do, I always seem to come up with a way to survive. But only once I’m there.
So just show up!
This is good. Yup. Just show up!
Very good idea. 👍
Gotta start somewhere. Hesitate and you’re fecked 🤣 ( excuse my French- we say in UK)
;>)
I can’t tell you how many times I started writing a poem/story about X and then X became a smaller part of a bigger poem/story. I live by the law of organics which says you have to let the writing happen organically. Don’t force it. Something will come when the time is right/write. And yes, I made up my own law.
Those are the best kind of laws, Ken.
Mitch, we all have to start somewhere. Ignore the criticism.
Critics…
Are reviewers. People who would have been poets, historians, biographers, if they could. They have tried their talents at one or the other, and have failed; therefore they turn critics. –S. T. Coleridge, Lectures: Shakespeare and Milton
I read this comment: Perfectionism masquerades as standards. It is actually avoidance–sophisticated and expensive avoidance. –Dan Kennedy.
Come as you are, in this case write as you speak. And hope a friend is found through reading your written work.
Amen, amen, and amen, Bernadette. 🧡
Love this!
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And don’t let others hold you back. I agree with Mr. Massiah to ignore the criticism.
(head down, looking suitably guilty) I guess that’s what I haven’t been doing for a while….
🧡
I call it the need to BIC—that is to stop dreaming about writing and place Bottomside In Chair and write. Hmm, a red line means I made that word up😜
And a very useful word it is, Pam!
Ja, da kann ich dir nur zustimmen.
Manche Beiträge brauchen etwas länger, weil man dann doch erst einmal am Text feilen muss.
Arne Wilhelm
Wahr, Arne.
Youm! Love it!
;>)
Mitch!!! Thank you. I have failed miserably. I tried posting my comment in another format, but it didn’t work, so I have since, thanks to you, made a post. Thanks for the push! I just showed up!
🧡
Gotta start somewhere and know which critics to heed( try this instead of that) and which to ignore, ( you otta just quit!) Thanks again Mitch!
My pleasure, Pete. And you’ve chosen your critics well.
Exactly: Take the leap! It needed a big breakthrough to understand that fear is an illusion I created with my thoughts. A whole new world opened up in front of me. And I had to share the experience in a book – and was not afraid anymore to share a part of me.
🧡
Sounds a lot like composing
Indeed, Kara. Composing is writing with tones.
Thanks for the words of wisdom and encouragement, Mitch. 😊
My pleasure, Terry.
It’s part of the fun of writing: making interesting, humorous, or profound discoveries in the process, never knowing what might come out of our pens/keyboards. Oh, and coffee helps. It’s been said that a writer is “a peculiar organism capable of turning caffeine into books.”
;>) Love the quote, Nancy.
Just show up is the best first step writing advice. It takes away my apt to procrastinate.
That’s all we can do!
Exactly, Chanel. And it’s enough.
Okay, I’m here … 😉
;>)
Nice, thanks for sharing
My pleasure, L.G.
Great advice, thank you! For writing and many other ventures.
My pleasure, Doval.
Great advice, Mitch, to show up and write. The more we are consistent and write, the more likely our writing improves and more creativity flows.
Exactly, Hazel.
😊
Love this, Mitch!
*just show up
🧡
“just show up…”
will take this with, Mitch… thank you for sharing…🤍
My pleasure, Destiny.
I have noticed that my mind pretends it has nothing to say until I start writing. Then suddenly it remembers.
Our minds are deceptively clever, aren’t they, Fifienne?
Oh yes, mine plays dead until the keyboard appears 🙂
;>)
Great words of wisdom and yes, even “squatarooney”! I find I am a great ‘beginner’ but not much of an ‘ender’.
;>)
“Trust in whom? Youm!” made me cackle while also feeling oddly motivated…thank you!
My pleasure, SheSpeaks!
Thanks Mitch! I really needed this today.
My pleasure, Anonymous friend.
It normally flows out of me, but sometimes I need to wait for revelation.
Thanks
Blessings
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thank you for the great tips
My pleasure.