Inspiration Isn’t Enough
Lesson 6 of 10 from the 200 Words-a-Day Challenge
In July 2023, I reluctantly accepted a challenge issued by
to write—and share—at least 200 words a day. Word count wasn’t the point; attempting to break through my resistance to sharing my writing was.This small daily task taught me a lot about myself, my creativity, and my writing practice. So I decided to also share my top ten lessons learned from the challenge in the hopes they’ll support you and your practice as well.
Following the pattern and the practice of the month-long challenge, I’m delivering these 10 lessons learned as micro-essays of at least 200 words.
Inspiration Isn’t Enough
In my role as an editor and coach, I’ve had more than a few writers attempt to explain to me why they write only when they feel inspired. They claim daily writing is out of the question; it’s boring, too routine, or just doesn’t feel ‘right.’ They surrender to the writing urge and begin to put words on the page only when something sparks their imagination.
After listening patiently to their reasoning, I would encourage them to notice what led them to that feeling to see if they could replicate any of the conditions as a means to entice the feeling the return.
I’m no longer this kind when they try to justify their methods.
There are several problems with the ‘waiting game’ approach. First, the obvious: waiting for a spark to be lit is not writing. And what if no spark comes? What happens then to the drive and motivation necessary to face the page, and moreover, to sustain a fulfilling writing practice? While inspiration can sometimes linger, it’s rare for it to stick around for the entire duration of even a single, short project.
Writing and sharing daily in the way I did for the month-long 200 words-a-day challenge provided absolute proof to me that the waiting game gets us nowhere. Showing up, ready to write, no matter what, does.
Lesson #6 of 10
Even beyond and perhaps more so than discipline, a meaningful writing practice takes devotion. When you commit to putting your butt in the chair, consistently showing up for your muse, he/she/it will reliably show up with gifts for you. (Some people call their muse ‘intuition,’ so also see Lesson #5.)
I've never understood this. I guess because I never set out to "be a writer". I had this crazy story land on me and I've been desperately trying to get it written ever since. It's only been in this process that I realized there are stories everywhere that clamor for the telling. Now I can't get this WIP done fast enough so I can write all the others. I don't need "inspiration". I need TIME! LOL!
Inspiration is one of the best feelings in the world and I am so thrilled when it decides to arrive. But as you've said, my job is to arrive at the page day after day regardless.