When you first set out on a run, your legs and body are still a little stiff. It takes me almost a mile before I hit my stride and can run more easily. When first starting out, it feels like the entire experience is going to be miserable. In reality, it’s the first few minutes that are the hardest.
The same goes for writing. The first few hundred words are the hardest. Once you start writing and your mind gets into the piece you working on, the experience gets a little easier. Your mind starts to think of better ideas, the words start to come to you, and you feel better about what you are writing. At the beginning, though, the writing experience can be painful.
I think Tom Kuegler nailed it when he wrote this in his article, “What I’ve Learned from Writing Over 500 Blog Posts“:
“It Takes Me 400 Words To Enjoy Writing A New Post
The words don’t flow from my fingertips like lightning every day. Sometimes I sit at my computer and dread opening up a new draft on Medium. At first I feel like I’m just vomiting words onto a page. Then all of a sudden — about 400 words into the article — I hit my stride. I think if you ignore the “THIS SUCKS, THIS SUCKS” voice in your head for 15 minutes, you’ll really get into your article. Trust me. Just sit down and write (without editing yourself), and you’ll be okay.”
