At the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, Hallie Ephron gave us writers some great advice, including, ‘Hold your nose and write.’ Isn’t that a fantastic saying?
Watch the video below to find out how to hold your nose and write.
Hello my lovely writers, how are you?
I attended the fantastic Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. If you’ve not been to it, I absolutely recommend you go because there were some top class authors and speakers there.
One of my favourites was Hallie Ephron and she said an amazing thing to us writers. She said, ‘You’ve just got to hold your nose and write.’
Hold your nose and write
Hold your nose and write. Hallie made the excellent point that your first draft, no matter what you write, is never going to be good enough for you.
That’s a really interesting and important distinction. Your first draft is never going to be good enough for you. It might be good enough for somebody else, it might even be good enough for a reader, depending on how experienced a writer you are but, essentially, at the beginning, it’s never going to be good enough for you and that’s why Hallie says it’s so important to revise.
Write that draft you know is not going to be good enough for you and that you know you’re not going to be entirely happy with because then you get to revise it and make your work that little bit better.
Revision is where it happens but, in the first instance, you’ve just got to hold your nose and write.
Unlock your creative block
If you’re somebody who struggles to hold your nose and write, there’s something much deeper going on that stops you from doing the writing you want to do, or even just getting started at all.
If, when you think about writing, a wall of resistance comes up and prevents you from writing or keeps you in that procrastination safe zone, I have a resource to help you. It will unearth what’s really holding you back and where that writer’s block is really coming from.
It’s called Unlock Your Creative Block.
In the meantime, hold your nose and write.
Emma xx
Emma Dhesi
Emma Dhesi is an author mindset coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer’s block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.
She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.
Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.
Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!
