I’m going to be kind of harsh right now, all prompted by a conversation I had in a cafe this week. I was introduced to a new member of the community as “that writer lady.” I do not take umbrage with that label in the least. Huzzah. People see me as I see myself. But the person said, “Oh, a writer! I want to write a novel.” Many of you on this list have said the same to me and have joined the group, or labor quietly in solitude and get solace and encouragement virtually from SnoValley Writes! Therefore, many of you will recall me asking you when you write, how often, what you write, etc. etc. etc. I did ask the same of this person as well. Like many of you, this individual said, “Oh, I’ll have to do it someday down the road; I don’t have room for it in my life.” Now, to be fair, there are days I don’t/can’t write. But, I’m thinking about my work in progress; I’m creating scenarios, or just plain living life for future story fodder. Then I get back to it. Or I’m editing. Or I’m reading. All things a writer must do. If you want to write, all I can say is write. If you’re not writing, you should be revising and editing. If you’re not writing, you should be daydreaming. If you’re not writing you should be reading.

Otherwise, you’re just being polite when you talk writing with me. Writing is work. It takes effort. It takes discipline. Wanting to do something and doing it are two different things.

For those who took my hints as encouragement, and the permission I gave you to write, Huzzah to you, too. Keep at it.

So, what did you write today?

And now your moment of Writing Zen:

“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”

—