2026 Get Started Right Writing Challenge: Day 9

For the ninth day, think about what the hardest part of writing is for you. That is, what is your biggest struggle when it comes to writing? Is it making the time? Is it focusing on one idea? Do you struggle with revision or research? Or, as it is for some writers, is it the actual writing itself that's the hard part? No wrong answers, but understanding what makes writing hard may give insights into how to try and make it easier in 2026.

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I really do think my big dilemma as a writer is staying focused on one idea long enough before jumping after each and every other sparkling new idea I contemplate. Maybe that's why poetry is my default; poems give me a nice, little container to throw my ideas in and then move on to the next. But even here, I would probably benefit from going back over the same ground more to really develop my poems.

That said, I have stumbled on a pretty nice novel idea recently that I think is tight enough that I just may be able to stay focused on it from beginning to end. And maybe I can throw all the other ideas into some random notebook until I'm finished with a first draft. I can always hope.