Just Five Minutes

Some days it's harder to write than others. It's hard to predict when it'll happen or figure out what causes it. Sometimes I'll just pick a random sentence to start and go with it. Some days I'll have a specific idea almost as soon as I get up in the morning. Then there are days like today when, by all rights, I should have plenty of energy and inspiration but there's just nothing there.

I think it's days like today that keep me from writing anything long.

I can keep the momentum going for a while, inspired by some driving idea. But eventually I'll trip. A day like today will happen when it's not just a lack of ideas or energy. Instead, there's just a gnawing sort of apathy towards the idea of writing.

So today I made myself write anyway. Five minutes, as promised. Supposedly, if I keep this up, it may help me deal with bigger projects in the long run. For now, though, it just feels sort of silly. I'm just typing until I fill out the time. Maybe tomorrow I'll be inspired, or the day after. It's hard to say.

Five minutes. Today that seems a lot longer than usual.