Don’t let your writing get stuck on a loop of “if only” wishe.
If only – I had a better computer.
– I had a quieter space.
– I had more time.
– I had a more supportive spouse.
– I had am MFA.
Well then, I could finally write something amazing…
An attitude like this is a recipe for inaction. For nothing will ever be perfect. And we will always wish something was better or easier.
Just do your best and keep showing up to struggle with your art.
Just keep going. That’s all there is to it.
I imagine it appealed because it’s so far from my own experience, where the creative flow is apt to be stopped at any moment by a message from my wife that the toilet is plugged up and would I try to fix it, or a call from the office telling me that I’m in imminent danger of blowing yet another dental appointment. At times like that I’m sure all writers feel pretty much the same, no matter what their skill and success level: God, if only I were in the right writing environment, with the right understanding people, I just KNOW I could be penning my masterpiece.
-Stephen King, On Writing