Just Do IT

Recently, I started writing a passion project. It is a twist on a favorite film of my childhood. I’ve wanted to do this project for three years, but for some reason, I’ve kept putting it off.

Although I was excited about it, I always seemed to find an excuse not to write it. It wasn’t until I had to force myself to go outside and exercise in the miserable wet winter weather that I found inspiration to start writing it.

Maybe it was because most of this project takes place in snowy settings. Maybe it is just that I wasn’t as passionate about the projects I had been working on at the time. Perhaps, it was the fog lifting from the state of S.A.D. I experience.

I remember the days after my accident when I didn’t feel like doing anything. The simple things in life (walking, changing clothes) were just too difficult. It wasn’t until I got tired of doctors telling me what I couldn’t do, that I became determined to prove them wrong. I found my motivation in the challenge of relearning everything. I learned a lesson that I apply to my life now.

If I can force myself to do things when I don’t “feel” like it, it’s easier when I do feel like it. 

Staying motivated can be difficult for people living with a disability.

• It’s hard to focus sometimes.
• We don’t have the physical strength or ability.
• Depression is stronger than motivation.

All we can do in times like these is just press on and do our best. Because trying and failing gets us further than never trying at all.

I believe we need to apply this thinking to our writing lives as well. If left to our own devices we would never get any writing done because we don’t feel like writing. That’s why we have to just do it!

Just Do (Write) It!

Once I sit down behind a computer and start writing, I get an adrenaline rush and the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes all it takes is that first step to get us motivated and we wonder why we procrastinated in the first place.

Before beginning my new project, I decided to rewatch my childhood favorite for the first time in over thirty years. I had my notebook and pencil on the coffee table but got lost in the childhood nostalgia of the moment.

I’ll probably watch it again just for note-taking. It wasn’t long before I was online and doing research. I was so excited I went to church and talked to some friends about it; surprisingly they offered to help me with the technicalities of the subject matter.

My enthusiasm spilled over into an email to a screenwriting friend who is a thirty-year Hollywood veteran. In a few hours, he emailed me to send him a draft once I felt it was ready for a readover! I am still stoked about the project now as I am writing this article while there is a cold rain outside my office window. 

In high school, I heard a professional athlete from my area share with the local news, the difference between athletes and spectators.

 “The only difference between athletes and fans is athletes make up their minds to do the work needed to excel in their sport. They don’t just sit on the sidelines dreaming and talking about it.”

The same principles apply to writing. The difference between successful writers and those who never achieve publication is successful writers do the work it takes to be successful.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, writers write, and dreamer’s dream. This means a few things need to take place:

1. Get serious about making it a career and not a hobby.
2. Get the education and training you need to write correctly and be professional. This could be a formal degree or it can be taking a professional writing program. The best writers are always honing their craft; whether through conferences or online seminars and classes—you only know how much you have learned.
3. Be willing to make the sacrifices needed to get your writing where it needs to be.
4. Learn the importance of time management. Just because you’re getting training doesn’t mean you can’t be writing.

It took months after my accident before I learned what I was able to do physically, I learned through trial and error, not lying in a hospital bed feeling sorry for myself. All of these years later I am still learning the limitations of my abilities. I keep learning and growing. When the going gets tough, dig in and learn.

The struggle is real, but it is good!

I don’t like working out all the time. If I only worked out when I felt like it, I’d never work out. So I force myself to go and struggle through it. I’m not there to have fun or socialize. I don’t want it to be easy anyway, because I like a workout that challenges me.

Our muscles only grow when they are tested. I would’ve never relearned how to walk, dress, talk or even smile if I never made myself use those muscles. Writers need to use their writing muscles (brains, hearts and extremities.) Below are a few benefits of flexing your writing muscles.

• Improves memory.
• Builds a writer’s voice.
•  Refines communication skills.

These can benefit people even if they’re not aspiring to be a writer.

But only if they “just do it.”

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.