In recent years, I decided to prioritize my physical (and mental) health. I started eating better and got myself a personal trainer. Sure it started slow, but I imagined that I’d become one of those people who’d pop right out of bed, ready and excited for the hardcore workout of the day. And I would crush it.

But this is not what happened. Often, when it was time to go to the gym, I made excuses:

I’m too tired
I’m not in the mood
I need rest. No, I deserve rest
This is just too hard for me right now
Who am I kidding, I can’t do this

That’s when I realized: something was going on that I recognized from my work as a creative writer. How, you ask? Allow me to start this article again, only this time; I’ll replace gym terms with creative writing terms:

In recent years, I decided to prioritize my creative writing. I started reading and got myself a creative writing coach (shameless self-promotion). Sure it started slow, but I imagined that I’d become one of those people who’d pop right out of bed, ready and excited for the hardcore writing days ahead as I finish project after project. And I would crush it.

But this is not what happened. Often, when it was time to write, I made excuses:

I’m too tired
I’m not in the mood
I need rest. No, I deserve rest
This story/script/novel is just too hard for me right now
Who am I kidding, I can’t do this

Does this sound familiar?
This is because, like going to the gym, the idea of the task in your imagination is actually much more difficult than the reality. Procrastination, or delaying a meaningful task even though you know it will make you happy, is actually an emotional reaction to protect yourself from those feelings of self-doubt. It’s just damn scary to do the work because in your mind, you already suck at it.

So let’s take it one step at a time and start by showing up. Everyone knows that the hardest part of going to the gym is actually getting there, and the same goes for writing. The trick is, if you can manage to just show up, then you will bust the myth you’ve created in your brain and realize that the creative work at hand is actually much more doable than you could have first imagined. Kinda like post-workout when you think, that wasn’t so hard!

Here are some ways to show up for your creative writing work:

1. Suit up. Sit down. Read.
This is the definition of how you “show up.” Don’t think about how much work it’s going to be or how long it might take you to finish this project, only concentrate on showing up. If you are writing from home, be sure to get dressed (seriously, it helps), sit at your desk and do one thing only: read. Read the work you’ve already written. If you have nothing new, read old work. If you don’t have old work, move to the next suggestion…

2. Five-minute warm up.
At the gym, you never start a workout without a warm-up. This goes for creative writing as well and it’s a great way to “show up” to work. Simply decide the topic you will write about (character, story ideas, plot etc.), and write for only 5 minutes. Let yourself go and see what happens. Like the gym, you start out groggy in the warm-up, but it only takes a few minutes to get yourself in the groove again. You’ve got nothing to lose – well, except for 5 minutes.

3. Plan your sets
No one wakes up and decides to run a marathon the next day. There are detailed plans of training that take months to prepare you for the race. In creative writing, it’s the same concept. So when you show up, make a plan. Like gym sets, make your plans for the day small and consistent. Instead of saying – I will write 25 pages today (that is SO MUCH), be specific and adjust your tasks to smaller sets like – I will do a character exercise then I will brainstorm possible structure for the plot (phew, much more doable).

This doesn’t only apply to creative writing, but for any creative work at all – design, painting, animation, music and illustration, to name a few. All of them have daunting results, so usually, our imagination will think of how difficult it’s going to be and that we are not up to the task. Then we convince ourselves that this is the truth. Try to simply force yourself to show up and warm-up. On the bad days, the warm up is all you can manage and that will be enough. On the good days, that small push will keep you going and help you form healthy creative habits.

Happy 2020 everyone – and happy writing!

If you’d like some creative coaching, check us out at fadein and ask about our online options if you’re outside of Lebanon.

Some sources: I’m a master procrastinator, as all writers are, I did a little digging on the concept of delaying your work. They pretty much cited the same studies and sources, but this article from fastcompany was my favorite.