The story I couldn't write (until I stopped this)

I stared at the screen, watched YouTube, and checked my emails for an hour…

Anything but write the damn thing.

My plan was to write my first fiction story after the Christmas break.

I had a loose idea of what would happen. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

After another coffee, I realised what I was doing wrong.

I was making this matter too much. This can happen when momentum is lost in creating something that was previously consistent.

Because it was the first story I'd written in a while, I wanted it to be great. But because the story had an air of importance, the stakes were high.

And then I told myself: Alex, stop this.

I did what I do to make the piece of writing low stakes.

I wrote whatever came to mind without needing it to be good. I brainstormed possible characters, what they wanted, and environments and situations.

The stakes were decreased. I was now actually tapping keys. The momentum, even just a snatch of it, was now there.

I wrote the story without needing it to be the best, and it flowed out of me.

This is a pattern I've noticed for years with how I work.

When I committed to writing 1,500 publishable words daily, I couldn't afford to faff about. I simply had to get words out, which is why I introduced more free-writing sessions. Just low-stakes, puking out words.

Being away had meant I forgot to do this for a full hour.

And so the lesson here, after fifteen years, is to make your next article, story, or even book low-stakes.

It doesn't need to be THE ONE.

It just needs to get DONE.

Just focus on enjoying the writing and getting it finished and published.

And stop attaching so much meaning to it. Meaning is overrated.

Doing this makes all the difference.

When you're low-stakes with each piece you create, you'll be a prolific writer.

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Much love,

Alex