Do Writers Need Courage?

 

I am particularly fond of today's poster quote. It says "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says "I'll try again tomorrow."

There are days when our writing gives us one problem after another. Nothing seems to go right. We end up discouraged, depressed, and disgruntled. We need courage to go back to our writing the next day. We need that big roar that pushes us and makes us write well, get over the roadblocks that we fought today. 

But do we need the big roar, or is it enough to hear a little voice that whispers to us about trying again tomorrow? I think that is all we need, but we have to stop complaining to ourselves about our bad day and really listen. I often think that people 'hear' but do not 'listen.' There is definitely a difference. 

We should give ourselves some quiet time at the end of the day. Have a cup of tea. Sit in your rocking chair and rock. Somehow that motion is soothing to us as adults as much as it was when our mothers rocked us long ago. Close your eyes and listen for that voice that tells you to try again tomorrow. 

Success tomorrow is not guaranteed, but it is quite possible. After a night's sleep and being away from the troubled writing day we had, things are bound to go better. Especially if we approach our writing with the attitude that it's a new day, a fresh start, and do it with a smile, not a frown. 

Think about inventors. If they gave up when things didn't go right, we'd not have many of the great things we have today that make our life easier. Inventors must often have gone to bed feeling discouraged, but they listened to that little voice that gave them the courage to try again the next day. 

It's the same with athletes. If they didn't meet their goal, or even come close, on one day, they have a new day coming and are willing to try again. Like writers, they function with determination.

We writers do need courage to keep working at our craft. Courage is necessary when beginning a new project, when submitting work to a publication, when editing and revising a first draft. We use that courage to tamp down any fears we might have. When we have a good writing time, we feel great at the end of the day. When it is the opposite, we need a quiet time to listen to that little voice that tells us to try again tomorrow.