I’m shifting gears in my current manuscript, and I feel like I need a mental break. What a great time to write a blog post, right? I think so.
Over the years, I’ve purchased many journals. Some are leather, some bound in corrugated cardboard, but my favorite journal has been the Moleskine. Moleskine journals are expensive, but I like the cream colored paper, and the paperboard cover feels less intimidating than leather. Leather feels more permanent, and I often feel as if I need something really important to say before I can write in one.
In fact, most of my journals are still blank, aside from the Moleskines. Until now. I went to the Dreamspinner Press Author’s Conference not two weeks ago, and we were given a beautiful leather bound journal with the Dreamspinner logo pressed into the leather. This is the type of journal I would’ve placed on my sacred journal shelf in my bookcase, but I used it that week to take notes in and write sex scenes in during a sex writing seminar.
It was freeing to be able to use the journal. I’ve always felt I needed to write perfect words inside a journal so pretty, but I sat that day and wrote imperfect words in that perfect journal. There are a lot of edits I’d make if I read my words again, but the fact is, I got words down.
And isn’t that really the start of any book. Write the words. Just start.
Last summer I partook in Camp NaNoWriMo in both June and August. I ended up writing in July too, never going back to edit but continuing on writing and writing until my story was done. I ended up with my North Star trilogy. I started, and that’s the only way you will ever finish.
What’s it going to take for you to write today?
