It's Gonna Be Painful. But...

(???)

Writing a tiny book is a rewarding creative project, but it’s never been all sunshine and rainbows for me.

It brought and still brings discomfort.

I usually experience discomfort when…

1. I cannot find a logical way to organise my thoughts on paper.

2. I have to stop writing because of work.

3. A week has passed, and I still haven’t had the time to write a single sentence. The discomfort comes from knowing I could’ve had the time if I had organised my day better.

4. I spend one hour on a 5-sentence paragraph and leave the computer still feeling unhappy with what I wrote.

5. On my draft, I see too many incomplete sentences and notes but not enough full-fledged, coherent paragraphs.

6. I wonder if the copyeditor/book cover designer I’m paying will do a good job.

7. I write a paragraph and think, Yes! This is exactly what I wanted to say. It looks good. It sounds good. It’s perfect! The next day, I see the same paragraph and think, Urgh.

8. I struggle to find the next most logical way to move my argument forward.

9. I know I won’t have time to write today, tomorrow, and the day after.

10. I know I’m editing and editing, but I’m not actually improving the prose in any considerable way.

11. It’s 9:30 PM, I’m tired, and I wonder if I should write instead of playing my favourite video game…and I play the video game.

No one says it’s easy. There has been and there will be pain. But this is precisely what makes it rewarding. It wouldn’t be so if it were easy.

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