Write Things: On Overcoming the Journey
May 09, 2025This week, Rachel Small and I had a fantastic conversation about the struggles we see writers face on the journey from writing a story to finishing their revisions with an editor.
Based on how well it went, we’ve decided to release the video to anyone who’s interested. You can check it out here.
Today’s topic is a reflection on that conversation.
Idea: On Persistence
It’s self-evident that in order to complete a task or goal, we must keep attempting it until it’s done. The only way we fail is if we choose to give up.
If fewer than 10% of people who want to write a story actually finish it—never mind go through the editing process!—then it seems logical to assume many writers are choosing to quit.
But they’re not.
When I speak with them, they tell me they still have a story they want to share with the world one day.
These are not the words of someone who has given up their dream.
These are the words of someone who has “one day’d” their dream.
They’ll do it when they have more time. When life slows down. When they feel like it.
When writers say they’ll write “one day,” they may as well be saying “never.” Because “one day” is never today. It’s never right now.
But the truth is, all of us could make 4 minutes in our day to write. And even if no words come, we could sit at our desk for 4 minutes and wait for them to arrive. That’s still progress.
The journey to completing and publishing a book is a long one, filled with uncertainties, doubts, failures, and challenges—most of which you’ll never see coming.
Given this, there’s no way to be 100% prepared for the journey. We don’t get a 100% guarantee of success. The only thing we can control isn’t whether we don’t give up—90% of those unwritten books are still waiting on “one day.”
What we can control is this: whether we take the next step today. NOW.
What’s the right next step for you? As a general rule, it’s something you can practically and mentally handle doing today.
Maybe it’s planning for 5 minutes. Maybe it’s asking yourself, “What do I want to write today?” and setting a timer for 4 minutes, promising yourself to keep the pen moving the entire time—even if it ends up sounding like Jack from The Shining:
I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write...
Spoiler alert: I’ve never met anyone who kept their pen moving for 4 minutes and didn’t eventually get to something they wanted to write or express. Has never happened.
My intention here isn’t to make you feel guilty. The “one day” trap is powerful precisely because we don’t realize how insidious it is. We don’t see what we’re actually doing—abandoning that dream.
But now you do. And now, you can make a new choice the next time you think about your goals or dreams.
Do I want to take a step toward them now—or one day?
Inspiration: “What do I want to write about today?”
Set a timer for four minutes and write continuously on the prompt above. Then, take your own advice.
Not sure if the idea(s) that come to you will actually help you move forward? Try and see. At the very least, you’ll learn something new.
Have you tried out Trevor Assistant, my personally programmed writing coach yet?
You can get a free credit here. (first-time users only)
Next, go to www.ihelpyouwritethings.com/trevor-assistant and get customized feedback, based upon my personal perspective and understanding of writing.
Invitation: The Smallest Step
If you’re actively writing—congratulations! You’re on the path, you’re in the arena, you’re doing it.
If you’re not actively writing, let’s change that (only if you want to).
What’s the smallest step you could take today to return to your writing?
Is it doing the quick-write above? Or going to the store to buy a notebook for a couple of dollars?
Could you set up a space you’d enjoy writing in tomorrow? Clear a desk, light a candle, maybe get your teapot ready the night before?
Find the smallest step—and then take it.
And once you’re done, ask yourself what you could do tomorrow. Then do that.
This is what persistence is made of.
This is how you achieve your dreams.
Wishing you and your stories the very best,
Trevor Martens
Founder, I Help You Write Things
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