start // #hopewriterlife

day 1 // start ✨

It might not look like much, but this little corner has been a labor of love these past few months.
This is the first glimpse of my new office space—a place that will hopefully be filled with writing.
That is, if I ever start.

I take that back.
I HAVE started.
I AM starting. Every day anew when I choose to pick up my pen & put it to paper, which these days is more often than not.

Writing is difficult.

Even on the days when words seem to flow, it takes all of me.
Most days, the blank space is terrifying, like an office that recently had wallpaper ripped off the walls.

As a writing teacher, my students’ biggest question is
“How do I start this?” To which I often reply, “You just do.”

It doesn’t seem helpful.
It might sound rude.
But the truth of the matter, when it comes to writing, is you just have to start.
Somewhere.

Maybe it’s here with small posts.
Maybe it’s a journal before bed.
Maybe it’s a notebook you carry with you or hang in the shower (they make those!)
Maybe it’s the notepad on your phone.

Wherever it is, you just have to put one word down after the other, and in time they make something.
An essay.
A poem.
A story.

And all those words together?
Those are yours.
The story you’re telling.
The start of something new.

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This post originated on Instagram as part of the Hope Writer’s #hopewriterlife challenge round 2, but I’m sharing it here are part of my Notes from a Writer’s Desk series.