Some days, I just don’t feel like writing.

I’m tired. I stare at a blank page and I don’t know what happens next. The latest episode of Outlander is burning a hole in my DVR; it calls to me. I want to take a nap.

There are a thousand reasons why you might not feel like writing. It’s called life, and it likes to get in the way of our writing goals.

So what do you do when the muse is on vacation? You’re dead set on achieving your goal, whatever that is—publishing your first book or your fiftieth, or just getting that wacky dream you had last week down on paper. You don’t want to give up, but you also don’t feel like writing. 

My answer: fake it ‘til you make it.

When writer’s block hits me like a bag of cats or if I’m just feeling lazy, I force myself to sit down and write something. Even if it’s fifteen minutes of garbage. Maybe I have a vague notion for a scene. I’ll start writing freeform how I imagine that scene will unfold. Nevermind proper grammar, word choice, or anything sensical. I simply spew thoughts, covering the page with my word vomit.

And do you know what often happens? Something valuable floats to the top. A bit of witty dialogue. New motivation for one of my characters. An unexpected plot twist. Some small gem I can actually use.

Sometimes that’s enough to spark my motivation to continue and meet my daily writing goal. I guess it’s like putting on your workout clothes even when you don’t feel like going to the gym. Simply the act of getting dressed can spur you to go.

Other times, that’s not the case (like when I put on my yoga pants and decide I’m too comfortable to get off the couch). On those days? Even if all I write is a hundred words, I figure that’s a hundred more words than I had yesterday. I can edit later.

I’ve found that rolling with my off-days is the key to persistence. Ups and downs are inevitable; I’m not going to let them derail me from my goals. As long as I write something, I’m moving forward.

I also have faith that off-days—or sometimes weeks—will pass. I know I’ve got a bang-up story to tell and I’m in love with my characters. There will be days when my storytelling is on-point and I’ll double, or even triple, my daily word count. Those days will more than make up for the times when all I could eek out was a few hundred trash words.

Bottom line: I never quit, even temporarily. One day off can easily roll into two…then ten…then a month. Then I’m just a person who dabbles in writing rather than a writer. Writers write even when they don’t feel like it.

And I’m a writer. Are you?