The Flow

What do you enjoy most about writing?

When you’re in the flow it’s as if the words come from the cosmos in a shaft of light entering your mind, illuminating your whole being. It possesses you in the best way, completely takes over your entire world, and There is only you and your computer.

It’s all encompassing and the best feeling in the world.

Then there’s the not flow. The wrestling a dragon. Not one of these gorgeous creatures, oh no. A big, strong, vicious, Game of Thrones type dragon, only one that’s not on your side!

Or worse still there’s the thick fog. Chasing the muse, knowing it’s just in front of you, but always a fraction out of reach.

Or this. The muse doesn’t even care enough to run from you. It’s insulting and demoralising in equal measure. You can write but you wince at every keystroke, mentally deleting every word.

But always, if you keep reaching, keep trying, and never give up, the light will Dawn, the sun will rise, and you’ll discover that yesterday’s work has potential.

A tweak here, a change of focus there, remove that unnecessary word or phrase, and yes, it’s good enough to get through the first draft stage.

The muse doesn’t desert you, you just have a few dull moments, which doing some exercise and drinking some water should clear very quickly. Maybe even remembering to eat something.

Whatever you do though, do not for even one second, ever, believe that writer’s block is a thing.

What you believe in feels real and we can’t have that kind of nonsense in our lives.

We are simply resting our genius rest for the next push. Just don’t do it for more than a few days.

Rubbish is better than an empty page. Within that rubbish may be the one sentence that sets you free. Makes the muse believe it’s worth rebuilding your relationship.

When it does hug it, spoil it, give it your full attention, and never let it go. Only you can lose it, or keep it.

Believe it’s yours for the asking and it will be. Be passionate about your writing, and don’t let the words and actions of others get inside your head and push the muse out. I did that and it led to a grey phase in my life. Everything I was, was gone, except cat’s mum. A thing I treasure that kept me going.

You deserve the muse as a friend, you deserve to be a writer, you deserve to be wildly successful. You deserve to live your dream.

Believe

Write

Achieve

And repeat.

Just uplift and heal, distract, create love and laughter with your words. The power of a good novel to take you to new places cannot be overestimated. The world needs writers to bring us together as only we writers can.

Best love

Deb xx