Lots of people tell me they “should write a book.” People have stories to tell and information to share, but most of them never write or don’t keep at it for long. The most common excuse is that they don’t have time. It’s true that writing takes time, but so do a million other things that people manage to make room for. A friend was comparing her journey into writing with her beginnings as a distance runner. She said, “anyone can run if they really want to, but writing is hard, and requires a certain amount of vulnerability.”
That’s the secret. It’s why so many drafts are started and never finished; why so many teachers are comfortable being readers, not writers; why so many beautiful journals are full of empty pages. Writing requires vulnerability. In order to commit to writing over time, the stakes must outweigh the risks.