open invitation no. 14: when you don’t feel like writing

Posted byRuth AyresPosted ininspiration

Sometimes you don’t feel like writing. Do it anyway.

Being a writer can seem magical…until you sit down to write. I started my career as a middle school language arts teacher. I assigned writing. I always thought the assignments were interesting and easy.

By dumb luck, I landed in a workshop with Katie Wood Ray on a September Saturday, just a few weeks after I started teaching. Katie said teachers should always write what they ask their students to write. On Monday I took her advice and attempted the Monday Journal Assignment with my students. I sat with a blank page, and I agreed when my students boldly proclaimed that it was terrible and hard.

It was the moment that I decided to quit assigning writing and start teaching writers.

We abandoned the assignment, and talked about how to make notebook entries not-terrible. The first rule was we could write anything we wanted, especially if the prompt seemed ridiculous. The second rule was to write, even if we didn’t feel like it.

Writers throughout history would agree that this is an important rule. Someone once said, “I hate writing, but I love having written.” It’s nearly impossible to trace the origin of this quote. It resonates with many, therefore, there are many versions of this lament.

The same is true for all of us. There will always be a time when we don’t feel like writing. Do it anyway. It doesn’t have to be “good” writing, it just needs to be written.

write

Open your blog and write a post. It doesn’t have to be a heart stretched story…it just needs to be written…and shared.

share

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Pop around and visit some other blogs. Leave a comment about the ideas or the craft…encourage and soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic

Published by Ruth Ayres

Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.

15 thoughts on “open invitation no. 14: when you don’t feel like writing”

    1. I love this post with pros and cons. Love the photos. I get up at 5:30 and write. I love looking out my window at the ground fog – I pretend I’m on the moors in Scotland. Also love the slug trails – The Secret Code of Slugs. It could be a children’s book or a poem!

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    1. Me too, Julie! If you haven’t read A New Childhood by Jordan Shapiro – get it. His writing is so fast paced and interconnected – I felt like my head was expanding! I took a screenshot of your July books. Going to put them on my list too!

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    1. Oh my gosh, Terje! This is wonderful! This is what CHILDHOOD is all about! I remember doing those types of activities all summer long with a band of cousins and friends. It is essential to life! Your adventures would make a great picture book! Think about that I love the soup! You could add recipes!

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  5. I have not written on my blog all week, but I have filled page after page in my journal. I will think about the best pieces to share on the blog, perhaps tomorrow. Today is filled with other tasks.

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    1. My grandpa had an olive green one like that and it was my job to unpack and clean it out – waxed paper – cold coffee -etc. He bought me a rectangular red plaid one for school. I loved it, but I broke the thermos on the first day of school one year!

      Love your reflection – so crystal clear!

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