Turn Endings into Beginnings by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” —T. S. Eliot
One year’s ending shepherds in the beginning of another year. We’re ending and beginning our writing life all at the same time. Writing is a passion, an intensely personal calling, a long-time dream for most, and a solitary endeavor. It involves a lot of rejection and heartbreak at every stage. Many writers will review the past twelve months and set resolutions for the new year. We can begin again as we wipe the slate clean and contemplate beginning anew one day at a time.
Out of endings, fresh starts are born on our writing journeys. In the new year we can ask ourselves what we want to do differently to hone our craft. Develop better writing habits? Stop procrastinating? Create a healthier lifestyle? Cultivate a more positive outlook? Improve a faltering relationship? Learn to cope with rejection and self-doubt? Harness greater resilience and perseverance?
Everything we do outside our literary life contributes to writing success, whether it’s tying up something left incomplete, changing habits, cultivating a more positive attitude, or thickening our skin.
Today’s Takeaway
Start this new year with a clean slate and think about good writing habits, positive attitudes, or dedicated practices you can create to put your craft at the top of the charts.
From Daily Writing Resilience by Bryan Robinson. © 2018 by Bryan Robinson. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., www.Llewellyn.com.
Bryan E. Robinson is a licensed psychotherapist and author of two novels and 40 nonfiction books. He applies his experiences to crafting insightful nonfiction self-help books and psychological thrillers. His multi-award winning southern noir murder mystery, Limestone Gumption, won the New Apple Book Medal for best psychological suspense, the Silver IPPY Award for outstanding mystery of the year, the Bronze Foreword Review INDIEFAB Book Award for best mystery, and the 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award for best fiction in the Southeast.
His most recent release is Daily Writing Resilience: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018). He has written for Psychology Today, First for Women, and Natural Health, and his blogs and columns for writers appear in Southern Writer’s Magazine. He is a consulting editor for The Big Thrill, the online magazine for International Thriller Writers. His long-selling book, Chained to the Desk, is now in its 3rd Edition (New York University Press, 1998, 2007, 2014). His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he has appeared on every major television network: 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC’s The Big Idea. He hosted the PBS documentary, Overdoing It: How to Slow Down and Take Care of Yourself.