If You Want to Write a Book, You Must Want the Entire Process

Anticipate the ups and downs of writing a novel.

Photo by Mariana Vusiatytska on Unsplash

I have a goal to write at least 200 words of my book every day. Last night, it was ten o’clock, and I still hadn’t written anything.

I didn’t want to. At all.

I ached to get under my blanket and finish the last fifteen pages of my book. I was tempted. I thought, “Who cares? It’s just one day.”

Then, I thought about the calendar I use to track my writing habit. Was I going to miss a day simply because I was too lazy?

No.

I wouldn’t be that person. If I skipped one day, it would make it easier to skip a second day.

I won’t be the kind of person who proclaims they’ll take action only to submit to laziness because “they don’t feel like working.”

Tired, I grabbed my Freewrite and wrote 200 words. (No more, no less.)

I’m glad I did so for three reasons:

1. I proved to myself I could stick to my goal.
2. I had an idea I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t written.
3. It reminds me of my mantra throughout this writing journey: “If you want to write a book, you must want the entire process.”