Why do we make writing so difficult?

When you get down to it, writing is a very simple thing. We take a pen and write on paper or in a notebook. We sit in front of a computer screen and type on a keyboard. Or we dictate into a device that transcribes our language into words.

Writing shouldn’t be this difficult, right?

But we make it so complicated by all the emotional baggage we place around writing. What if no one likes it? What if I don’t feel confident? How will my writing compare to someone else’s? What will this influencer or that leader think about it?

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.” What a profoundly simple statement.

What if you could approach writing the same way? What if you could just… write? What would it feel like to get the words down without all of the extra baggage we attach to it?

After all, you’re a writer. We put words down and share them with others. That’s all there is to it. The rest of it is just details.