I’ve Got a New Writing Mantra (…and it’s working!)

Cranky and annoyed with myself, I knew something else wasn’t working—and it wasn’t my WIP. It was my mantra: I give myself permission to write garbage.

For type-A rule followers such as myself, that mantra really is a godsend. Sometimes I need actual permission to do things below my typical (very high) standard. I’m grateful for it, really— it got me past the halfway point. Looking back, however, my project had a lot of gusto on the front end. There was momentum, and getting words on the page is much easier when you’re in a state of flow. 

Now that the momentum has slowed, even “writing garbage” feels like an insurmountable chore. And the low hum of muscle discomfort has made me less up for the challenge. I needed something simpler: