I just found this great article on writing by Sebastian Marshall. His basic advice boils down to “just do it!”, but he makes some interesting points along the way. I had never heard of the Equal-Odds rule. Read more details at his blog, but basically, in order to do great work, you have to do a lot of “not-great” work. No one just does great work. So, let go and just write. The great stuff will float to the top.

Commit to doing it every day, no matter what. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this, yet I still don’t do it. I guess it’s like I tell my smokers who tell me they’ve tried to quit so many times. Each quit attempt is preparation for the time that you really quit. You never know when it’s going to stick, so just keep trying.

“I accepted that I’m going to be judged. I don’t love it, but I accepted it.” This is the hardest part for me. My ego is fragile, but oh well. The benefits are worth the risks.

“Try to think of each visitor as an honored guest.” I like that. My site gets minimal traffic, but that’s not zero. And I actually know some of the people that read … don’t worry, I won’t embarrass them by naming names. The bottom line is that my whole purpose is to improve the lives of others, in whatever small way possible. To think that anyone is spending their precious time reading this is an honor to me.

I may never be the prolific writer that I envision myself being, but it can’t hurt to keep trying.