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Turn on the Faucet · The Daily Writer

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for creative success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: These lessons are inspired by great artists, authors, and thinkers, both past and present.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Has this ever happened to you?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: You block out time on your calendar, you get your pen or your pencil ready or your computer, you sit down at your desk and you're ready to write.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: You've been looking forward to this time and you can't wait to get your creative juices flowing.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: So you sit there patiently waiting for the muse to arrive and deliver that creativity straight to your brain.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: You're ready for action and then nothing.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you've ever had this experience, you're not alone.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Writers all over the world from the beginning of time have felt their creative wells run dry.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: There are few things in life more frustrating than being a writer who's waiting for the words that just won't come.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: But wait a second.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: If that's the case, how do we explain the world's most prolific writers?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: What do we make of those authors who produce book after book for decades?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: One such person was the Western writer Louis Lemour.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: He wrote over one hundred novels and several books worth of short stories.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: What's more, he didn't start writing until his early forties.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Louis Lemour was one of the most prolific writers who ever lived.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: What was his secret?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: How did he deal with writer's block and produce so much work?
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well he gave a little sliver of a secret when he said start writing no matter what.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Louis Lemour was not known for long, confusing stories or explanations, so we can take his words at face value.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: If we want to approach our writing as professionals, we must practice the discipline of turning the faucet on and just writing, no matter what.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: One way to prime the pump, so to speak, is to come every single day prepared with something to write.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Make it a habit to plan your writing in advance.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Keep a notebook or computer file of your ideas, and don't come to the blank page without a prompt or an idea of what you're going to say.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Some writers resist this idea, believing that it's better to let creative inspiration come within its own time and in its own way.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: But the reality is that lightning strikes you much more often when you're already standing in the rain.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So turn on that faucet and let the water flow.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: We really appreciate your support and hope you enjoyed this episode.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can find more at DailyWriterLife.com.