One of the most important traits to learn during a major writing (or any creative) challenge is patience. There are so many activities that you are used to doing during the day that you may have to put off or cancel when your challenge becomes a major priority. Before the 365 challenge, I spent at least two hours a day learning everything I could possibly find out about the world of movies and television. I was obsessed. When I began the challenge, I knew I would have to cut that amount of time in half or make it non-existent on certain days when my creativity taps seemed to be running dry.
I also had to be patient when it came to enjoying late night activities. My girlfriend and I would occasionally stay up past midnight hanging out, playing games or watching television. Since I know that my best work tends to come between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and that I need at least 7 hours of sleep to be awake enough to produce it, I have to put off some of those fun activities to another day. It's become so easy to have fun and to be entertained in life, that you can't help want to put off work when you don't have to do it.
When it comes down to it, a writing challenge isn't even mostly about writing. It's about patience, perseverance, hard work, willpower and the understanding of the people around you. If you want to be a writer but you're worried about your skill level, there's no issue. The hardest working writers with the most patience tend to be some of the most successful. The fact that you will get the opportunity to do something you enjoy with your life will help you to push even further.
Today, when I first started working on Ted Saves the World, no words came, but I was patient that I could get my brain revved up and ready to work. Low and behold, two hours later, I was done my 2,000 words. In addition, I worked on a blog post today of poetry writing prompts.
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