Today's poster is simple with only a few words. Even so, it gives us some powerful advice. If you change nothing, nothing will change.
Stop and think about what the quote tells us. When we feel stuck in a rut, we often sit in that rut and feel sorry for ourselves. The longer we stay there, the worse we feel. Negative thoughts take over, and suddenly we not only slow down our writing but may even come to a complete halt.
How do we make changes that will be beneficial to our writing life?
First, we need to analyze the situation. Step back and give an honest look to whatever is keeping you from making progress. Sometimes, circumstances put us in a funk, but we also need to be honest and see if we are part of the problem. Is it our attitude or those many negative thoughts or the 'poor me' feeling that is helping to make the problem worse?
Maybe it's the way editors are changing in what they seek to publish. What we need to do is to figure out what they are looking for and try to change our slant, too. Most of us avoid change because we are comfortable doing what we've always done. It may be comfortable, but we're not going to make progress in our writing journey if we are too stubborn to make some changes.
Have you ever been to a meeting at church or your children's school or some other organization where a new idea is floated? Inevitably, someone will say, 'But we've never done it that way.' That's probably true, but it doesn't mean you can't try something new. I've always felt that if the new way doesn't work, you have the option to go back to what had been done before.
If making changes in your writing habits is difficult for you, seek the thoughts of a fellow writer. Or writers. Bring up your problem at a writers group meeting, or have coffee and talk one on one with another writer. Don't go to a nonwriting friend for advice about writing troubles. They may mean well, but they don't thoroughly understand the writing world.
One of the most important parts of changing things that don't work is being willing to change. You can be stubborn and hold to your old habits, but you'll stay mired in the problem. Attitude is a major part of changing our ways.
If something in your writing life isn't working, take some time to analyze, seek help, and be willing to make changes. If you don't like what you've changed, you can always revert to the way you did things originally. You're in charge.
Change is not easy, but it can be very beneficial.
