The thing is, when it goes well it feels like ‘cheating’.

It feels like it’s coming through you, instead of from you. Your hand creates the letters but the words are from somewhere else, each other’s rather than yours; you’re discovering the road ahead rather than paving it yourself.

Or that’s what we tell ourselves.

Because hard work should feel like hard work, right?

Or, if not, shouldn’t we be able to feel like this all the time?

I wrote last week about how believing writing is all inspiration is like believing love is all romance. I’m not denying for a nanosecond that it’s usually the most fun bit. But it’s the work the inspiration, um, inspires us to do all the time, in a million big and little ways – the motivation, the perspiration, from the inspiration – that makes the difference.

Because that’s really the thing. It’s not cheating. It’s not coming through you instead of from you. You aren’t possessed by the muse. You are doing the writing.

Why am I telling you this now? Because I tell myself every day. Because every day when it goes smoothly and freely, and every day when every step comes through effort and force, there’s a reason to get at myself:

“But it shouldn’t be this easy, should it?”

“But it shouldn’t be this hard, should it?”

Easier to compare myself with (my imagined view of) others and their successes, paint myself pictures of how much easier it is for (my fictional versions of) other people – that accept the limit of my control over my own emotional and intellectual weather patterns.

Every day, every page, I have the same choice:

Anxiety, or creativity? I don’t get to choose which of them I hear, but I do get to choose which of them I listen to.

Both are making up stories, but creativity acknowledges the process; recognises how real, how tangible its effects can be – even though the stories are made up.

That’s why I remind myself what my first love, Sir Paul, tells us in the picture at the top. I remind myself that the best work starts as play.

If you want to train your creative confidence muscles, beat the inspiration addiction and build a healthy writing life, grab any workout at the Writers’ Gym:

The Writing Room | 11am-1pm Monday 24 March
Free for everyone on my mailing list (if you’re reading this, that’s you!). No expectations, no readings, just an open chat box and ten minutes’ (totally optional) chat together at the end. Click here.

Coffee & Creativity | 1-2.30pm Wednesday 26 March
Quality writing time and excellent company! Grab a coffee and have a mid-week chat, a write and then another chat with your fellow creatives. Free for members: type your discount code where indicated. Click here.

Cocktails & Creativity at the Century Club | 7-8.30pm Wednesday 26 March
Join us for an evening workshop with cocktails, where creativity meets confidence in a unique blend of writing exercises, discussion, and networking. Whether you’re an experienced writer, just starting out, or simply curious about the craft, this event is designed to boost your word count, confidence, and connections—all in a relaxed and welcoming space. Click here.

Writing Room EXTRA | 3-5pm Thursday 27 March
Members only: please check Voxer messages.

(If you’re not in the UK, find your timezone here.)

On this week’s episode of The Writers’ Gym podcast:

The Writers’ Gym is part of Rachel Knightley Coaching: creative confidence for life, work and art. www.rachelknightley.com

You don’t have to be a member to join a Writers’ Gym session: visit here. But if you’d like to access our weekly programme for free, and receive 30% off all our other events, ask about membership at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com