Mess it up and write

I've got a weakness for nice notebooks. You know the kind. They're hard-backed, with artistic covers, and smooth ultra-white or ivory pages.

  

The problem is, used to I love these notebooks so much that I hesitated to use them. I "saved" them. They disappeared onto high shelves and into deep drawers. When they've been stored somewhere for a few years, they're no longer special. When I rediscover them, the pages have dried out, and the spines have cracked.

 

So now, before I buy a notebook, I decide exactly what I’ll use it for. Then, as soon as I get it home, I write in it, quickly. I write across the pages, make tiny sketches, and make a list or two. I deliberately mess up the notebook, so that it's mine.

 

You can use the same technique to mess up a writing project so that it's yours. If you've been procrastinating on a project because it feels "special" to you, mess it up. Start. Write anything. Write lists for several pages. Write about what you're going to write. Just write.

 

The next day, have another go at messing up your project. Before too long, it no longer feels so special, and you're no longer intimidated by it.