Many people have an ideal of sitting down at a computer and just letting the words flow out perfectly. The heavens open up, birds sing outside, and a ray of light descends from above as they post their work, email it, or send it off to the editor.

That, however, is a fantasy. It’s not how good writing actually gets done.

Writing is like mowing your lawn with a push mower. It’s a lot of manual labor. Sometimes it’s pretty monotonous. You have to go back and get the spots you missed. You get pretty messy in the process.

While you’re mowing the lawn, you get sweaty and dirty and you can’t see the big picture. But when you’re done, you can stand back and look at your perfectly mowed lawn and appreciate all your hard work.

Good writing happens the same way. It is created through hard work, persistence, multiple drafts, editing, and finishing what you started. This is how professionals work, and it’s how you must work, too.

Question: Do you want to write badly enough that you are willing to endure the messy part of writing in order to get to that wonderful final draft?

The post This is How Good Writing Happens appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Have you ever seen someone make pottery? It’s actually quite fascinating. It’s fun to watch them at work, and it’s often breathtaking to see the beautiful pots, vases, bowls, and other works of art they create with their bare hands.

But what comes before the beautiful, finished product? You guessed it—putting a messy lump of clay on the table and getting their hands dirty. The clay is not formed. It’s just a plain, old, unformed lump of clay. But the potter shapes it into something useful and eye-catching.

The same is true for you as a writer. You have to put some clay on the table. You have to start with a messy draft. If you don’t, you won’t have anything to work with. Get that draft done as fast as possible, so you can start working with it.

Remember, the mess always comes before the finished product. Don’t be afraid to get messy. The messy potter’s wheel is where all good writing begins.

Daily Question: Are you willing to get messy with your first draft? Do you think perfectionism sometimes prevents us from moving ahead with our writing?

The post Put Some Clay on the Table appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.