Enable that inner writer who is begging for your attention

I know I am not the first aspiring novelist to have a non fiction-writing-friendly day job. Until making millions off a best-selling first novel, a corporate day job is necessary. Yes, I dream of writing novels for a living, but for now, my day job is a very necessary - and decent - taker of my creativity.

But - for anyone who has a writer lurking inside them - what I am about to say will ring true. You can have the most creative of day jobs but, if you aren't putting pen to paper (or finger to keypad) and getting your own original thoughts down on paper, you aren't fulfilled.

Now, I've trained my inner writer to accept a less fulfilling life than she would choose. I have reasoned with her, patiently explaining that until she jolts me awake with a fresh, ready-to-unfold story for the masses, that she'll just have to keep quiet from 8am-6pm every day, and allow me to earn the money needed to keep her in the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed (afterall, moleskine notebooks, apple macbooks, soy lattes, and writing desks don't grow on trees).

While she is far from thrilled with this arrangement, I must say, she hides it quite well. I have yet to sit in front of a blank page and suffer. The words always come (though I'll admit, some days the words form better sentences than others). And the story ideas do, at times, jolt me awake. However, they come into my mind far from ready-to-unfold.

And unfold they must. This is when she starts to get demanding. I've given you the words, she reminds me, AND the high level plot outline. All I ask is that you sit yourself down and take care of the unfolding. A few nuances, some bridges, and BAM! you'd have your book. YOU'D HAVE YOUR BOOK!

For all of us who have a book inside us...this is what we face. That inner writer begging for a bit of our attention. A few more hours a day, or even a few more hours a week. To pay attention to our words. To put our original thoughts down on paper. Unfold our story.

This week, I commit to sitting down with her from 8-9pm every night - with a glass of red wine. That's right, she'll get an hour of my time, every night this week. If the sparks are flying, I may even add a second hour (and a second glass). If we end up fighting, I'm walking out on her at 9.

How can you appease your inner writer this week?

Happy writing!

Steph :)