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The Saddest Reason to Avoid Writing · The Daily Writer

• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to this episode of the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of reasons people give for avoiding the hard work of writing.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most common ones is a lack of time.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Other reasons people give include not knowing what to write about or confusion about processes like blogging or publishing.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there's another reason that people give for not writing, but it's worse than all the others combined.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: It also has the distinction of being the most profoundly sad reason many people don't write.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Rowling, said it like this.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: You need courage.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Fear of failure is the saddest reason on earth not to do what you were meant to do.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: I finally found the courage to start submitting my first book to agents and publishers at a time when I felt a conspicuous failure.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Only then did I decide that I was going to try this one thing that I always suspected I could do, and if it didn't work out, well, I'd faced worse and survived.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, wouldn't you rather be the person who actually finished the project you're dreaming about, rather than the one who talks about always having wanted to?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there are a lot of writers who fit into this category, and I call them someday writers.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Someday writers always talk about how they're going to start that blog or write that book, quote unquote, someday.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: But without a clear direction and a firm commitment to doing it, someday gets pushed further and further into the distance.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of doing that, commit to being a today writer.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to take action today.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Even if it's just writing a hundred words.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, every little step forward gets you closer to your writing goals.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be one of those someday writers who uses fear as an excuse for not doing the work and putting yourself out there.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And even if things don't work out like you hoped, you'll know for sure and you'll learn lessons that you can apply to the next project.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: But more than likely, whenever you actually do the work and whenever you do the work today, beautiful and wonderful things will happen that you would have never imagined.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's what happens when you look fear in the eye and you start writing anyway.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the daily question.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Are you letting fear hold you back from writing?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, what are you so afraid of?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to this show for any length of time, you know that one of the four practices of a great writer is creativity.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And in order to stay creative, you've got to have great input.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where writing prompts come in.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: A writing prompt is a sentence or two that helps you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Writing prompts are an awesome creative tool for journaling, storytelling, creative writing, stress relief, social media posts, and so much more.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: But the great news is that you don't have to create these yourself.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: We've put together an amazing package of 365 daily writing prompts.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So every day for the next year, you can have a shot of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out at dailywriterlife.comslash writing prompts.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.