Tapping Into Your Daydreams

If you want to write, first you need to relax. Flex your fingers. Pour a cup of hot chocolate. Let yourself daydream.

Okay, I know you want to get published. You want to make money. It’s a tough market out there. Shouldn’t we writers bust our behinds to crank out stories?

Yes and no. Yes, there’s a lot of work involved with writing. Yes, I make myself write everyday. And, yes, I make myself revise. But my first step is always to relax. I don’t believe the act of writing should be stressful. There are tons of stressful careers to follow: astronaut, FedEx delivery person, bear trainer. With writing, all you really need to do is sit and string words together, so why not have fun with it?

Your audience will know when you’re having fun. And they’ll be bored if you’re bored. So during your first draft, let yourself go. If you want to write about jeeps on the planet Jupiter, then do it. If you want to use words that only start with the letter V, well that would be hard, but do it because it makes you happy.

If you love to write, then give yourself those precious hours of joyful creation. Edit later. You need to write at the top of your game to get published, and you can’t do that if you sit at your desk biting your nails and worrying about the future.

So relax. Now go forth and create.