If I don’t write the book it won’t be written.
Sometimes the hardest part of writing is sitting down to do the writing.
When this is your job, it can be particularly frustrating if you find yourself unable to do the work.
In his brilliant book The War of Art (if you are any type of artist, this is a total must-read!) Steven Pressfield refers to the things that get in the way of our art as “resistance”. Resistance is all about what’s comfortable – even when it’s uncomfortable. It keeps the status quo of your life even when you don’t feel as if the status is quo.
Resistance is the brain weasels telling you you’re not good enough, smart enough, wise enough, or otherwise capable. It pushes back in one form or another anytime you are striving to do work to create beyond your present circumstances.
Hence, when you find yourself blocked, distracted, feeling defeated, or just otherwise blah – that’s resistance.
I downloaded the audiobook of The War of Art and have listened to it multiple times now. I am, in fact, currently listening to it again. Why? Because combatting resistance is an ongoing, life-long fight. So long as you strive to make anything of or do anything with your life on your terms – you’ll meet resistance.
But artists in particular fight this war on the frontlines. Actors, singers, writers, painters, fiber artists, you name it – we’re the cavalry leading the charge into resistance on the regular.
Resistance is impacting my work to write the book
Two months ago, I took on a couple of freelance jobs. This was for several reasons.
First – despite publishing 6 books throughout 2021, they have not yet created the desired positive impact on my income.
Secondly – I’m rather certain that old beliefs in my head are creating a blockage resulting in reason the first. Since I believe that consciousness creates reality – a guaranteed money-making option is a channel to unblock me.
Thirdly – the gigs are part-time, so I can still spend most of my time writing.
Fourthly – I am an adult. As such, I have bills to pay.
When November came, I was excited to participate in National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo) again. I started out strong with it.
But then, I found myself needing to record and edit Bold Moves – the 4th and final novel of this story arc in my clone conspiracy sci-fi series Forgotten Fodder. Because this became my priority – to meet the self-imposed November 23 pre-Black-Friday deadline – my writing fell off.
Finally, I completed editing and recording Bold Moves and set it to publish. But now I had to get the audiobook recording edited. It’s amazing how a 12-15-minute chapter can take 30—60 minutes to edit.
Suffice it to say, I didn’t win NaNoWriMo this year.
The book I am working on is the 5th and final novel in my Void Incursion sci-fantasy series – Check and Mate. I had begun it before NaNoWriMo – and intend to have it ready for publishing in early 2022.
Even with the work on Bold Moves completed – I am finding that resistance keeps meeting me as I sit to work on Check and Mate. New needs for my freelance gigs or some other matter distracts me – and I am not writing.
This looks like resistance to me.
The only way to do it is to do it
Relistening to The War of Art was a good idea. And that’s why I am more readily capable of identifying that I am currently facing off against resistance.
Recognizing it is the first step. Acknowledging it is the second.
Now? The only way to do it is to do it.
The only one who can write the book is me. So, if I don’t do my work and write the book – it will never be written.
For all the novels I’ve completed since I started self-publishing fiction in 2014, I have a lot of unfinished works on my various drives. Multiple half-finished, half-started concepts live here.
In some cases, resistance beat me – and they got thrown to the side or otherwise discarded. While in other cases – they ceased to speak to me and were abandoned.
When it comes to the work, Steven Pressfield makes a major distinction between the amateur and the professional. To sum up – the amateur tends to half-do the work but talk about it in an all-encompassing I-am-my-work manner. Meanwhile, the professional knuckles down and does the work.
I can easily make the argument that most of those abandoned works were created while I was still an amateur.
Recognizing and acknowledging that resistance is getting the better of me – I get to choose what to do with that. Let it keep knocking me down? Or pick up my sword, crack my neck, take a deep breath, and go back into the battle?
The only way to do it is to do it.
I choose to write the book or not
The only constant in the entire Universe is change.
Whether infinitely slow and small or immediate and ginormous – change always happens. Like it or not – change occurs.
As such – the resistance we are fighting today is not the same as it was yesterday – nor how/what it’ll be tomorrow. But that’s a good thing.
Why? Because if resistance beats you today – you’re not defeated. That’s just a battle. The war rages on.
Tomorrow, you enter into battle anew.
Every single day I get to choose if I am going to fight resistance – or let it roll over me. The choice is mine alone. And I get to make it daily.
When I have a day where resistance wins – and it will – I choose how to react to that. Do I let my defeat overwhelm me and stop my work to write the book? Or do I shake it off, dress my wounds, and enter back into battle tomorrow? I alone make this choice.
Thus – if you fail to do your work, it’s important that you forgive yourself. If you are anything like me, the defeat might cause self-judgment and self-doubt. Then, that leads to various unkind, uncompassionate, unempathetic negatives about yourself and the work you do.
Be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself for being human. Resistance is impersonal. Like nature, money, and the weather – resistance simply is. It impacts everyone everywhere. Some people let it wash over them and control all they do. Others arm themselves and enter the battle.
That’s the meaning of Pressfield’s The War of Art. Every battle is unique, but the war is the same.
And the war is utterly winnable for all.
If I don’t write the book it won’t be written. Recognizing and acknowledging this – it’s up to me to act.
Will I fight resistance and do my work today?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website. Also, check out my weekly podcasts.
Enjoying the website and my endeavors? I’d be grateful if you would consider becoming a patron through my Patreon.
You can subscribe to my newsletter. Fill in the info and click the submit button to the right and receive your free eBook.
Follow me here!
You must be logged in to post a comment.