Every writer has felt the magic.
You sit down to write, but the words don’t come. Not instantly, anyway.
You press on a bit, and the words gurgle out like rusty water from an old faucet.
You keep pressing on, and the words start to flow a little more, but they’re still not right.
And then, at some magical moment, the words begin to flow, clear and strong and sharp as lightning.
The emotions rise up inside you.
You become your characters, all of them—the good ones, the mean ones, the smart and the stupid.
The scene flies out of your fingers onto the page. Not perfect in grammar and syntax, but foaming with life.
The magic has begun, and you let it roll over you until it’s done.
And then when it’s done, it’s gone, and you can’t make it come back.
The next time you sit down to write, you assume the magic will start again.
Maybe it does, and maybe it doesn’t. If you does, you feel infallible. If it doesn’t, you feel like you’ll never write another decent word.
It’s just a fact, the magic doesn’t always happen.
That’s why we call it magic. Because you can’t make it happen.
But when it does, that’s bliss, and you don’t care if you get paid, because you would pay for the joy of making the magic.
If the magic doesn’t happen, that’s OK. Press on anyway. The magic always starts out muggley. It only becomes magic when you press on.
If you haven’t felt the magic in awhile, you may think you’ve lost it forever.
You have if you believe you’ve lost it.
But if you believe the magic will come again, it will.
You can’t control the magic. You can’t decide when.
All you control is your choice to press on when there’s no magic.
So press on, every day. Write the words when they’re not magic.
The magic will come again. You know in your heart it will.
Maybe today; maybe tomorrow.
The only thing certain is that there will be no magic unless you press on.
So press on. Trust the magic. Wait for it. Delight in it when it comes.
Don’t tell yourself the lie that you can make the magic happen. You can’t.
Don’t torment yourself if the magic doesn’t come today. As Scarlett said, tomorrow is another day.
Wait for the magic.
Believe in the magic.
Trust the magic.
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Author: Randy Ingermanson
