Guess what? If you want to be a writer, you’ll have to write. If you don’t want to write, then you don’t want to be a writer. It’s as simple as that.

It may sound like obvious advice, but sometimes the most obvious things are what we end up forgetting first. It’s so easy to get caught up in your own web of ideas, characters, plot points, scenes, and quite probably an overdose of procrastination. Have you ever met someone who said he was a “writer” and didn’t write? I don’t think so.

Write however you need to. Everyone is different and it’s OK to deviate from the “norm.” Writing is both an art and a craft, both of which are mastered by showing up and putting down some hard writing hours. You have to make sacrifices on the altar of the Word Gods if you want to ascend to writer’s Valhalla! As with anything else, you need to break into the writing bubble. It will be hard at first and, frankly, it won’t get any easier, but you’ll find ways of coping both with yourself and your writing.

Find a system that works for you. The simpler the better. Some people use special programs, some people use notebooks, some people use simple word processors. The purpose of simplifying is to remove any distractions and excuses that would allow you to procrastinate just a bit longer. I’ve no doubt that most (if not all) writers suffer from different degrees of procrastination. The solution? you guessed it: just write!

If you’re starting out as a writer, you have to understand that there is absolutely no getting around this. No matter how many books you read on writing, how many courses, lectures, writer’s workshops, and talks you attend, or whatever you do, if you don’t sit down and punch the letters onto that blank page in front of you, you’ll not be any nearer to becoming a writer. The only solution is to plunk your bottom on the top of your chair and write away.

That blank page can be scary. I know, I’ve lived through it. However, there are little other things that compare with the satisfaction of seeing that final piece of writing that came from those fingers of your dancing across the keyboard on the screen.

So just grab that coffee, pull up that computer, shut out all the noise, and just let it all flow.

Oh, and do remember to enjoy yourself!

What are your thoughts on just sitting down and writing? Have any special tips or techniques that work for you? Be sure to share them below!