The Off Day

Turn it on again.

Hi friends.

How’s your brain doing? How’s your writing? How’s your focus? How’s your motivation?

If you’re yelling, “Not good, dude!” at this computer screen, I am receiving your howl. I hear it, and I feel it. But also: I bet it’s all better than you think.

My sense is that if you signed up to get little nerdy letters about writing and creativity from me that you’re probably the “no one is harder on me than myself” type. But did you know that if you get even a little bit of your creative work done today you have accomplished something?

Whatever you do, don’t talk yourself out of writing because you don’t think it can be all that you want it to be today. Don’t say “why even bother” to yourself if you’re feeling off. Because our work is made up of an accrual of words over time. And an off day can switch so easily to an on day—if you get a little something done.

For me it’s all about the first two hours of the day. This is when I best have the chance to turn my off day into an on day. Those are the moments I write without judgement.

It’s about reading whatever book I’m reading just enough to get my brain going and then making a cup of coffee and sitting down with my notebook and letting that engine roar. The way my mood uplifts and heightens over the course of those two hours feels like a miracle. The sun rises while I write. Somewhere in there I give thanks to whatever force exists that has let me have those two hours for myself in the quiet of the morning.