Monday Motivation - Five Core Beliefs

Welcome to Monday Motivation #1. Today is launch day! I am so excited! I cannot believe the How Writers Write podcast is finally live. Thank you so much for joining me on the journey. 

One of the reasons I decided to start the How Writers Write platform is because I’ve struggled so much with limiting beliefs, and I felt as if the writing world just wasn’t talking about the emotional, mental, and spiritual strength it takes to write. I said this in episode 0 and I believe it… most people quit writing because they lack the inner strength to keep going, not because they lack the ability to write.

On this first Monday Motivation, I want to talk about five core beliefs about writers and the writing process. 

These beliefs are the bedrock of not just this podcast, but the entire How Writers Write platform.  

These are words I’ve spoken to myself when I’ve felt beat up and needed to dig just a little deeper to get my story onto the page. 

Belief number… 

1.       You have a seat at the storytelling table because you have a story to tell. I believe that our stories are gifts from the gods, but even if you don’t believe that, the story in your heart is yours to bring to life. It means you are part of a tradition of storytelling and writing.  Boiled down, this means your story is unique and it counts. 

 2.       You are exactly where you should be to tell your story, regardless of your age, experience, or education. All writers start somewhere. While some people are born into writing families, others not. It doesn’t matter if you had every advantage, every pedigree. You are a combination of brains, natural talent, experiences, a body, and countless other factors. How those things arrange themselves are unique to you and will deeply reflect the story you are here to tell. But, those things should never be a reason not to write. They are fuel, not excuses.

3.       The difference between someone who writes and doesn’t write is discipline. 

4.       There are always going to be excuses not to write, and you’re going to have to write through them. You have the time. You may not have much time, but you can find some. You are smart enough to write. You can fill in your excuses, but they will always boil down to a binary decision to either listen to the excuse and not write or blow through the excuse to write anyway. Just keep writing.

5.       Process counts. I know writers and creative people hate the “P” word, but a process is simply a tool that enables you to consistently create good results. Process is a combination of a bunch of little things, that when you do them over and over again, they add up to make you a more effective and joyful writer. Like little shortcuts through the mechanical parts of writing. The key elements to my own process are to write early in the morning after a good night’s sleep, lots of hot coffee, and I already know what I’m going to work on. It doesn’t matter how these individual things look for you, only that they consistently help you get your story onto the page.

I hope as you go about your week, some of these beliefs will inspire you to move closer to your writing goals. Remember, 

1.       You have a seat at the story telling table

2.       You are exactly where you should be to tell your story

3.       The difference between someone who writes and doesn’t write is discipline

4.       There are always going to be excuses not to write, and you’re going to have to write through them anyway.

5.       Process counts.

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