Rebecca O’Connor — author of the stunning, have-to-buy-it memoir Lift — writes about the trials surrounding the creation of her first book, which included hostile roomates, pain (she eventually had her gallbladder removed), stifling heat, overwork and (the writer’s constant companion) doubt.

And I have made a thousand choices that have been spun into good luck because ten years ago I sat at a plywood desk across the street from a zoo all throughout an oppressive summer —-and I wrote. It would be nice to be a best-selling author, but it would be nice to win the lottery too. No one can force such splashy swathes of good fortune. But you can show up at the page – write, compose, create. You can change your life one page at a time just by showing up and trying. I think in the end you’ll find your nostalgia is for the journey, not the successes –and that the journey was utterly worth the work.

A worthwhile post for any writer (and when you’re done reading it, buy the book).

Posted in Writers.