As I mentioned already, I schedule my writing sessions, to make sure that I sit down in front of the computer and do something, possibly in the direction of producing a written piece to publish on the website, or of moving forward with my book.

The last three writing sessions were great, I was working on the book, addressing the comments of the editor, moving parts, adding others, creating cohesion between the lines and moving towards my goal.

But today was a miserable day. At least it started so. I kept scrolling up and down the manuscript, feeling unsure where to add a crucial scene. I let myself be stuck in indecision and confusion for an hour, creating nothing. Luckily not creating frustration either, thanks to my work on mindset.

Still, I did not move forward. So, I decided. I got up and took a break. Had a cup of tea with my husband, while the book was at the back of my head. I told myself that I would shift the end of my writing session tomorrow and do something else today.

Then I went back to my computer, counted the number of words in the chapter, and then instead of saving and closing, I started writing at one of the “open” spots, which was marked for revision. I ended up writing the lines I needed to end the chapter.

My time was up. I saved my work, happy. I just took one step, a preparation for the scene I wanted to write. One might say that it was a tiny result for two and a half hours writing session, but the truth is this: without this step, I could have stayed in front of the computer scrolling to find the right place for my scene forever!

Every step along the way is precious even tiny ones. The bigger steps and the tiny steps all pile together to get me to the results I want. It is like knitting a sweater, after all. One row after the other, week after week, you will one day find yourself with a full sweater with a beautiful pattern. And to get there you cannot take a shortcut: each row is as important as any other to create the design you have in mind.