It's no secret that showing up for the page every day is hard work. Most writers talk about how their dry spells and how, on some days, standing under a jack hammer would be preferable to trying to yet again put two words together that made sense.
I'm no different but I am learning about new depths to my resolve. There are countless days when I think that I don't have the time, the space, or the mental stamina to open up my current project and re-read it or work on a new chapter. But the other option - not working on anything creative in my life, not having given this effort my best, having to tell people that I gave up - is a worse choice. I'd rather set the alarm early and end up with one word change in a 400 page file than finish the day feeling that I let myself down.
The truth is that grappling with perfecting a sentence gives me joy only second to rearing my child and being with my husband.
And the irony is that the days when I show up at my laptop keyboard, reluctant, weary and grasping for hope often produces my stronger work.
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