Endurance: whatever happens, just keep writing by Tony Noland

"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." - Ecclesiastes 9:11

"How many times do I have to kill you, boy?" - Jafar

When Johanna invited me to write a blog post about endurance as a writer, I agreed, but noted that it would take me a couple of weeks to think up some way to say "Whatever happens, just keep writing" using between 500 and 900 words. In fact, for the efficient-minded, you can stop right there. You don't even need to read the rest of this. However, as a piece of advice, it is as useless as it is true. How do you keep writing?

It's easy to write when things are going well. The words splash and flow like wine from a bottle, intoxicating you and everyone around you. It feels like the party will go on forever. It doesn't take endurance to write during times like this. It takes a fast pen and a quick mind to capture it all.

But then...

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="233" caption="Sir Ernest Shackleton's "Endurance" - never was there a better named ship"][/caption]

You want to write, you need to write... but you can't. You've got no ideas, or at least no good ones. Your prose sounds trite, your characters are wooden, you've written yourself into a corner and your stalled WIP is crap. The screen is blank in front of you and your fingers on the keyboard are useless.

Whatever happens, just keep writing.

"If you can't write something good, write something lousy." We all have good weeks and bad weeks. If you feel like the well has gone dry, write anyway. Describe the weather - warmer or colder than it was this time last year? Relate the conversation you overheard in the grocery store. Say what you liked (or didn't like) about that movie you went to see. Is this prose going to win any awards? No, and it probably won't be used for anything, either. What it does, however, is keep you going, maintain the habit of writing.

"Make a commitment to write." How's that for a hoary old chestnut from Writing for Dummies? The problem is that sometimes we don't keep those promises we make to ourselves. So here's the twist: don't make a commitment to yourself. Make the commitment to someone else. For me, it's the Friday Flash stories I write each week. I haven't missed posting a new story in years. Week in, week out, through vacations, illnesses and just plain lack of inspiration. The truth is, if it were just for me, I might very well have let it slip and skipped a few weeks here or there. However, it's a writing commitment I've made to myself and to the readers of my blog.

"Writing is writing." My novel WIP is progressing again after a difficult year. I worked on it only in fits and starts, lurching through the edits and revisions. However, even as I wanted to tear my hair out over the slow pace of it, I kept writing other things. Did those other writing commitments detract from my novel, taking away time that I could have used on it? Perhaps, but I know there were hours on end with my WIP where I stared at the screen, utterly stalled. I believe the other writing I did helped me to hone my craft and sharpen my eyesight until I could see what was wrong with what I'd written in the novel. The stories, the blog posts, the descriptions of people, places and events... they were all writing, and they were all of value on the long road.

"No one else is in your shoes." Some people write faster than you do, some write slower. Some write better than you do, some write worse. No one else is in your exact situation. Everyone's matrix of life, family, kids, romantic entanglements (or lack thereof), day job, house, etc. is different. Some situations are conducive to writing, others aren't. Just keep writing. Measure your wordcount by the daily thousands if you can, measure it by the weekly dozens if you must. Don't stop to look at who is winning... just keep writing.

"Ask for support." Go on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or any other place where writers gather, and say, "I'm having a bad time right now. I could use some encouragement." You will be AMAZED at how many people there are to help you keep going. Please note, however, that asking for support is NOT the same as complaining about how hard it is to write. Asking for support means that you want to get back on your feet; complaining is an end unto itself.

"Use writing prompts." Some of my best stories came when I had absolutely nothing in the tank, was completely out of ideas. I asked for a prompt on Twitter and got a couple to choose from. In essence, it gave me a bone to chew on. It was enough to get me going, to give me somewhere to go.

Ultimately, endurance is not about talent or giftedness, and neither is it about blind stubbornness. It's the motivation to keep your eyes on the prize, to know that each step on the journey is but a single step.

Whatever happens, just keep writing.