I think often of a piece of advice I read:
Writers write.
I don’t like this. It is to indicate that you are not a writer if you don’t write all the time, but it fails to address the human component we all have. Sometimes we are tired, or facing a health crisis, or have something else that came up which pulls us away from writing. I love to write. I crave it. It’s a great way to make a living. That is not to say that I don’t have down time or lulls.
If you’ve read that, please ignore it. There is no profession where someone is 100% on fire every single time. There are many things that drive emotions in us and can cause delays. That doesn’t mean you aren’t a writer.
Obviously, I took some time off. In fact, I didn’t think about writing but three times during the last several weeks. But here I am, writing. There I was prior, writing.
Walking and Writing Relate
I started a habit of walking about three years ago. Before my first step, I was sitting down at the computer a lot. I think I averaged about 3,500 steps per day. For an old guy like me, that’s not enough at all. For even young people that’s not enough. A friend of mine died from a heart attack right before this habit locked in for me. He had a desk job writing, too. For many years. I know he liked to walk, but he still averaged about 6,000 steps each day. In other words, he’d go for a walk once in the day, get some regular steps to and from his kitchen or bathroom, and that’d be it.
With that loss and fear in my mind, I knew I needed to get moving. I aimed to get 10,000 steps per day because that’s what health professionals were advising. Still do, I think.
Fast forward three years, I still walk almost daily. You can call me a walker. You can say I’m in the 10,000 step club. So, when I injured my foot from rolling it and had to take six weeks off of it, would you say I am not a walker? Far from it! I had a human moment. And once I healed up, I got back to it. And then I got sick and had to take 10 days off.
What I am trying to say is, you don’t have to force yourself to write when you’re not mentally or emotionally there. Walking is a physical sport, and an injury can set you back. Writing is mental work, so feeling off can set you back. That does not mean you aren’t a writer.
I hope this raises you up in self-esteem and helps you relax. Ignore what the other guys are saying. Writers are opinionated. Every quote or advice is an opinion anyway. You’re a writer. Always will be.
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