Hello Reader!

One of the students in my worldbuilding class recently asked me how to get writing done when life is hectic or when there's a lack of motivation to write.

I teach high school students all day, and I come home to three little kids afterward. So yes—things can get chaotic often. I’ve learned that writing is rarely an option during the noise and movement of the day. If I want to get words on the page, I have to carve out quiet time for my writing (and prayer).

For me, that’s 4 a.m.

No one’s awake, the house is still, and I can sit at my computer with a cup of coffee and finally think. It takes effort to get up that early, but with discipline, it becomes a habit. That’s how I’ve learned to write in the middle of life’s chaos.

Then comes the second (and perhaps even bigger) challenge: what happens when the conditions are perfect—you’re in front of the computer—and… nothing? The motivation, inspiration, or spark (whatever you want to call it) just isn’t there.

It’s tempting to close the laptop and do something else. Honestly, washing the dishes can sound more appealing than wrestling with the void. But if you want to get your writing done, you have to face those times of emptiness and work through them. As Stephen King once said,

From my experience, that’s true. I have to work through what I call the “10-minute wall.” Some days when I sit down to write, I have to push through about ten minutes of, “Blah, why am I doing this? Couldn’t I go back to bed?” before the ideas start flowing.

Some days it’s five minutes. Some days it’s fifteen...or more. But 95% of the time, if I push through, I’m rewarded with a fruitful writing session on the other side. Some of my best work comes out of those times.

And that doesn’t just go for writing—it applies to almost any meaningful task we don’t always feel like doing but need to.

So here’s to showing up, even when it’s hard.

Until next time,

Jason

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