Writing is a very mysterious profession. I don’t think that there are many taxi drivers, for example, who wake up, get dressed, meditate, workout, get into their cars and say:
Today, I don’t feel like working. Maybe, I’ll drive tomorrow.
And they repeat that same thing from day to day, just to realizes that they have wasted four years of their life, not doing their work and living and a verge of existence.
Imagine a different scenario: a taxi driver gets into the car, picks up his first customer, the customer says:
Drive me to the Time’s Square.
And the driver replies:
Oh, today I don’t feel like driving there. How about driving you to the zoo, instead? You can see a lot of funny animals. They can inspire you to do something great. That’s something that always helps me. I love seeing funny cat videos.
What would you do if a taxi driver has told you something like this?
Naturally, you would have gotten angry.
On the other hand, what if your favorite author tells you:
I’m sorry, I cannot work today, I just need to take a long walk and grab a bottle of whiskey and drink myself unconscious; just because I don’t feel like it and he goes rambling on and on about how tough his life is, about his kids, wife, his childhood, and abusive father.
What would you do in that case?
I guess, that you would probably have forgiven him. Isn’t that right?
So, why are writers so special? Why do we forgive them for not doing their work? Or, let’s say, why do we forgive ourselves for not doing our work?
Steven Pressfield, in his book – Turning Pro, talks about showing up and doing your work whether you like it or not. He also says that the main difference between amateur and professional writer is in her attitude. The professional shows up every morning and is av are of the fact that it’s her job and duty to write a certain amount of words or a certain amount of time. The amateur fears Resistance, another term coined by Steven Pressfield.
When we turn pro, we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.
Steven Pressfield