You’re probably thinking, “Sure, been there; done that. I didn’t even bother to collect the t-shirt.”
There is a point in every writer’s life when he just doesn’t feel like writing. Whatever the reason may be, it does not matter when you’re that point. You just probably want to do anything but write, but let me give you a little tug – back to earth.
If you’re a writer, you should write even if you don’t feel like it. Of course, there are exceptions, but if you want to be a better writer, then you’ll have to push yourself when these moments come.
Why should you write even if you don’t feel like it? Here you go.
Obvious reason: You need to get paid.
As Homer Simpson would say, “D’oh!” – no article/blog post/whatever you’re working on, no payment. It’s as simple as that.
“The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” – Robert Benchley
If you’d rather skip on the “perhaps” part, then fight every cell of your body that’s urging you not to write.
Less obvious reasons
Writing relieves stress.
For some of us, this is just as obvious as the first reason you should write even if you don’t feel like it; but if I had a dollar for every time I wrote even though I didn’t want to…(I’ll leave that to your imagination.)
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really feel happy at the end of the day if I don’t get a good amount of writing done. It’s just the way it is, and even if there are a few hours in the day that I feel sick just thinking of writing, I know that if I let that “sickness” get the better of me, I’ll feel even worse by bedtime.
Looking at it from another perspective, you don’t have to force yourself to write for work if you can spare the time. To ease yourself into work-related writing, why not write something else, something that you will truly enjoy? You can even write about how you don’t feel like writing. How meta is that?
It will make you feel better, though, and pretty soon, you’ll get right back to work.
Writing helps you realize your goals.
Just like I said earlier, you do not have to force yourself to write work-related material. How about taking an hour or so to think about your goals, the things you have been wanting to do – short-term, mid-term, and long-term – and writing them down? You can write why you want to achieve those things, perhaps how you can achieve them, and what a feasible time frame is.
It may not be directly related to making money, but you just might find yourself not feeling averse to writing if you go down this path.
Writing can help you help others.
Another reason to write when you don’t feel like writing is to encourage others. Whether you may realize it or not, there are people who look to you for inspiration, people who look up to you. A simple blog post may help an anonymous reader from the other side of the world. A short email may bring a smile to a friend’s face. A handwritten note may make someone’s day. You never know what your writing can do.
So you don’t feel like writing today? Sure, take a few minutes to do something else, but get back on track and keep on writing. It’ll make you feel better.
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