You Will Never Regret Writing

What to remember on the days you feel like giving up.

I disappeared off the face of the planet for a few days. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like writing anymore. I looked at my drafts to see what I wanted to fill out and publish, and I didn’t like any of them. I didn’t write for two days, and I woke up this morning and nearly fell into the same trap. I lay on the couch while emotional flashbacks swept over me and I could barely move. To be fair, I get PMDD, and that’s a factor in this.

I was so, so tired. I thought I had run out of ideas. I looked down and saw how far I’ve come and only saw how far I could fall.

Whenever I read articles about why I shouldn’t give up on writing, I was already empowered to keep writing. Today, I wasn’t. I was tired and anxious. Inspiration articles don’t help.

These are the days that matter the most.

The days when it is easy to let slide by, are the days you grow most if you don’t let them. When it is hard to write, but you do it anyway. On these days, you need to be kind to yourself, but sometimes being kind to yourself means writing when you don’t want to.

I don’t want to write this article. Everything in me is telling me to fall asleep on the couch. But I’m doing it because I will regret it if I don’t. If I don’t write today, it will be even harder to write tomorrow.

I won’t regret writing this tomorrow. Tomorrow, it will be easier. The next day, it will be easier. I’m writing until I want to write again.

These days happen to all of us. They are the days that challenge and empower us, even if we don’t feel like they are. Instead of thinking “I need to write every day,” think about if the you tomorrow will regret not writing today. And sometimes the answer is that you need a break. That’s fine too.

Remember that spark of inspiration is never gone. The firewood may be wet, but it will dry and all the effort you put into keeping the embers glowing will be worth it. Just because it isn’t a blaze of light right now doesn’t mean it is gone, or that it is dying. You will learn new tricks to keep it going even when it is nothing but smoke.

Remember this the next day you don’t feel like writing. Write absolute nonsense if you must. Write one sentence. However little you write, you’ll never regret writing it.

Thank you for reading! If you want to read more of my writing, check out my website or newsletter.