The Key to Writing

I just finished reading Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation, andConflict, and now I'm sure Hollywood will want the rights to my next novel. On second thought, after seeing the trailers for White House Down, it appears that Hollywood isn't really strong on characters with goals, motivation, or conflict.

I've also read Stephen King's On Writing, and Zinsser's On Writing Well. All of them have helped my prose, but none of them have written it for me. By the same token, just last week I read a published author whine about inspiration. It's surprising that someone writing for a living would even consider inspiration. I don't need inspiration to write, and if I did the inspiration would be the mortgage payment, which comes due whether I'm energized or not. 

Bottom line, all the how-to books, inspiring phrases, and motivational speakers can't do the one thing it takes to be a writer. That one thing is write.  You have to sit at your desk, put your hands on the keys, and write. Don't worry about world building, outlining, goals, motivation, or conflict. Just write. Ignore the editor on your shoulder, forget the rejection letters, just write.  

See the scene in your mind's eye. You are center theater, and White Rabbit is thundering from the speakers as Baby slices through the German zombies, but it is your music, your scene, your Baby. Just do it.

Today.

After you read a couple more of my blog posts, of course.

Mark H. Walker is the author of World at War: Revelation, a creepy, military action, with a love story, alternate history, World War Three novel thing. It's available from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing right here. Just $3.99. Give it a try. What the hell?