Most writers, myself included, aren’t very patient with themselves when it comes to writing. I know with myself, if something doesn’t work right away, I get quite desperate and even despondent. But why is this the case? Why can’t writers just be patient with themselves? I think that part of the reason is that writers think that they need to produce a lot of material in order to be successful. But that is not necessarily the case, unless they are writing academically. For the freelance writer, it is just important for him/her to write consistently and publish a few pieces a year. That is good enough as a beginning. As writers become more and more experienced, we become able to write more and more material and publish more and more. In fact, it is important for writers not to push themselves if they don’t feel ready to start or to complete a project. I know that this sounds strange. But writers who push themselves to finish up a project when they aren’t ready to do so, don’t produce a piece of good and acceptable piece of work that will be published most times. So, maybe writers should give themselves a break more often. Forcing yourself to write can have really negative consequences for your self-esteem as a writer too. Most times, there are reason why you can’t seem to get a piece together. Most times, you are just not ready to put the finishing touches on the piece or to start a piece. Forcing yourself to finish it up won’t help anyone, and certainly won’t help your confidence as a writer. Therefore, it is crucially important that writers follow their hearts when starting or completing a piece. If your heart is saying that you are either not ready to write a piece or to complete a piece, follow your intuition. A writer’s intuition is usually pretty accurate, and from experience, I have seen that it is especially accurate when it comes to this kind of thing. So, follow your heart and your intuition and to produce your best work. You will be glad that you didn’t force yourself! Irene