In all the books I've looked at, read and purchased related to life story writing, or even writing in general, the idea of continuing to keep going when the mind says it has other pressing things to do keeps coming up.

Writing takes patience. Writing allows the mind to wander and when the mind wanders, the blank page sits idle... waiting.

Writing is not task-based. It is not something that you sit down to do and when you are done, then you see an accomplishment. With writing, you might sit down and spend 30 minutes or an hour and you've only scratched the surface of a thought that is developing into something.

And it's OK.

Jot that thought down, start somewhere. Your accomplishment is that you sat down to do this in the first place.

But then, there is enormous satisfaction when the thoughts on the page make some sense to you. It is satisfying to find the right word when not just any word will do. It is satisfying when that certain phrase does the trick.

Writing is something that comes from the mind and the heart. The pictures are in the heart and the mind struggles to wrap itself around the feelings, to bring the picture to the page. Writing is challenging and fulfilling. It takes devotion and practice. It takes thought and patience.

We enjoy writers who can help us to see into new places and realize new truths. And the truth is that we all have that capacity to reach into those places that draw out the experiences and feelings that touch others.

Writing is worthwhile, it's worth the time, and it's worth the effort.