Allow yourself to write badly. Don't critique. Don't spell check. Finish the story, warts and all, then polish it into something great. If you don't finish it first and edit after, you can't create your masterpiece.

Closed mouths don't eat. It's something I've been learning to live by so I figured why not submit what I have. I have one story that I have been working on. It's been really fun to write so far so let me know what you think.

What is your biggest challenge to attention or biggest distraction that you wrestle with when you need to focus and write? Mine might be YouTube videos? How about you?

Hey everyone, friendly reminder: This community only gets better when we actually talk to each other. Don’t be shy — post your work, ask questions, share a win, rant about writer’s block, whatever. If you’re waiting for the perfect moment to contribute, spoiler alert: it probably doesn’t exist. Just jump in. And just to be clear, you don’t need to be selling something to post here (in fact, I'd rather you ease off on it). Think of this like a writer’s room, a creative coffee shop, or a slightly chaotic but supportive group chat where we’re all trying to get better at what we do. So go ahead… make a post, show up, and let the rest of us know what you’re working on. We’re here for it.

Mine is… well… Take a moment and try to imagine a squirrel trying to file taxes. That’s pretty much the energy. I’ve been bouncing around like:• “Must create!”• “Must make money!”• “Must remember what I walked into the kitchen for!” And as soon as I start working from stress instead of inspiration, my brain turns into dial-up internet (anyone old enough to remember how that worked?). I know I will be over this hump soon. So I’m taking today to reset and get back into creative flow instead of creative panic. Your turn: What’s helping (or destroying) your creative focus this week?