The Rules of Writing: #1!!! (You might be surprised by what it is.)
Writing rule #1: After your friends/family/coworkers kindly listen to you blabber on about the book you want to write and all the awesomeness it's going to be and how much the world with love it because IT WILL WIN AT LIFE... After they nod their heads and smile and then thoughtfully point out to you, "You know, my writer friend, if you had just sat down and written down these ideas of yours every time you've talked about them for the last X to the Nth Power number of times, your book would not only be finished, but published and millions of people would be fangirling it and we'd be sitting on your private beach in a tropical paradise discussing what to have Giovanni, your personal chef, prepare for dinner"... When they say something so horribly insensitive and ignorant (I'm sorry, but it's true -- non-writers/artists sometimes just don't get it), do not feel guilty for dragging your feet, for being all-talk-no-action, for procrastinating.
Seriously. I mean it. And I'll say it again: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FEEL GUILTY.
The things we write may be stories of potential marketability to others, but to ourselves they are unique and special universes that exist within our minds. This is a place you can find NOWHERE ELSE on Earth, so ENJOY IT! Do not write it down as quickly as possible and move on. Revel in it. Savor it. And as time passes, this universe will deepen and mature into something even more remarkable and mesmerizing. That is want you will eventually want to share with the world: that depth and wonder and preciousness. And when you have (at long last) decided that the holiday is coming to an end, THEN write it down. Close the chapter on that magical realm and allow new growth to sprout in its place.
And yes, I speak from experience. Guilt will do nothing except sour that special place in your mind that so fascinates you.
So take your time and enjoy the things you create. Let them grow with you. Those are the things worth sharing, not hackneyed and hastily hammered-out dimestore paperback drivel.
Seriously. I mean it. And I'll say it again: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FEEL GUILTY.
The things we write may be stories of potential marketability to others, but to ourselves they are unique and special universes that exist within our minds. This is a place you can find NOWHERE ELSE on Earth, so ENJOY IT! Do not write it down as quickly as possible and move on. Revel in it. Savor it. And as time passes, this universe will deepen and mature into something even more remarkable and mesmerizing. That is want you will eventually want to share with the world: that depth and wonder and preciousness. And when you have (at long last) decided that the holiday is coming to an end, THEN write it down. Close the chapter on that magical realm and allow new growth to sprout in its place.
And yes, I speak from experience. Guilt will do nothing except sour that special place in your mind that so fascinates you.
So take your time and enjoy the things you create. Let them grow with you. Those are the things worth sharing, not hackneyed and hastily hammered-out dimestore paperback drivel.