Surprising writing advice from a master author

I’ve been doing a ton of writing lately for a major ghostwriting project (combined with my usual work I’m probably hitting around 10,000 words a week, not to mention editing), and the experience is reminding me of a single, fundamental truth about writing: More than half the battle is just getting words on the page.

I can’t tell you how often I think of this quote by storytelling master Stephen King:

“Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.”

— Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

I read this quote years ago and it’s stuck with me. I often repeat a version of it — “just keep shoveling” — to myself whenever the process feels sluggish or sticky.

Because sometimes writing IS hard. Not all the time; there are plenty of times when my headspace is right and everything flows and a part of me somehow knows exactly what needs to be said. But other times it feels like a mess, and I have to go on anyway.

Perhaps this is the real secret of writing. Yes, writing does get better and easier with time and practice. (I promise.) But mostly I think the pros are just better at getting on with things even when your brain tells you “this is crap”.

At the very least, if you have words on a page you have something to edit and improve. And that’s almost always easier than writing from a completely blank page. Getting that first draft done can feel painful, but if you can push yourself through it and get the words down, you’ll be much better positioned to improve your work.

The other benefit, which King alludes to in his quote, is that oftentimes your work isn’t as bad as you think. Many times I’ve walked away from a draft in the evening thinking it was total garbage and returned to it in the morning to discover that, miracle of miracles, it wasn’t so bad. Or, at least I knew exactly how to edit it and make it better.

So, if this is you — if you’re in the muck or the manure of a project — keep going. Keep shoveling. You might be doing better work than you think.