How Much Pain Can You Take?

Do you really have to write every day in order to be successful?

Aren't there times when it's okay not to write? Like when the world around you is falling apart?

Sure, there are times when you just can't make yourself write, nor should you.

You have to know how much stress you can take. That's physical, emotional, and mental stress.

I've tried to power through and write in the face of Grief.

In a short space of time a few years ago, we lost several loved ones, one right after the other. Events like that aren't conducive to creating fiction that's anything more than an outlet for your personal suffering. I didn't write anything worthwhile for a long time.

Bad news about tragic medical prognoses affects me the same way. I have to process it, come to grips with it, and figure out a way to live with it. Then I can move on and do something productive.

That doesn't mean I've given up on a goal or a work in progress. What it means is that I'm human. So are you.

So what makes you tick? What can you take and bounce back? What crushes you? How do you deal with that?

Takeaway Truth

Sometimes you just have to forget the goals, the plans, the dreams, and the schemes and deal with what's breaking your heart. Don't hide from it. Don't push it down. Own it. Accept that it will take time to reconcile yourself to it. Eventually, when you're ready, you'll move on down the road.