Many who write regularly know what it’s like to be at a loss for words. Some days we can churn out ten pages and others we struggle to write ten sentences. Writing is hard, which is why it is intimidating to a lot of people, whether you’re a student or you’ve been publishing papers for years. There can be a dozen reasons why we can’t find the right words: can’t find the time, don’t feel inspired, too many distractions…
The key to developing great writing is all in the habit of writing frequently. Writing must be intentional. If you wait for the world to provide you with the perfect conditions to write (Spring Break, perhaps?), you won’t be doing much writing at all. Instead of finding time to write, you must MAKE time to write. Create a schedule and make writing a productive part of your day. A draft is never perfect the first, second or even eighth time it is written, but I can assure you it gets better every time.
This may sound like a stretch, I know. The rebuttals are already coming to mind: I really don’t have time. I have a busy schedule. I need to escape my routine to write. My life is sooo unpredictable.
What’s the worst thing that can happen if you give this a shot for the next three weeks? Set aside a time, at least a few times a week, to focus and write. Making writing intentional has to be a better option than writing your paper at the last minute on a Saturday skipping meals on no sleep, right?
So here is my challenge to you: get off the Internet, silence your phone and start writing!
