Writerly life can be such a roller coaster … much like life itself … full of ups, downs, and in-betweens. And often it can be hard to see the progress we are making …
But so long as we keep taking steps, so long as ideas and words, somehow, eventually, make it onto the page, then we are writing …
And if we are writing, then progress is surely being made.
But how much do we see and value this progress within ourselves …?
‘I’m not getting anywhere’ is a phrase I hear both as a book coach and as a writer.
But the thing is, as a coach, I might see the impact of the voice of doubt in my writers – slumped shoulders, and heavy demeanour, but I’m lucky enough to be distanced from actually hearing it.
That pleasure I reserve for myself …
My own clear voice of doubt ringing the loudest of them all in my long-suffering ears.
With my rib situation on the mend and my ability to take sole charge of Millie-Dog reinstated, we have been having our first solo outdoor adventures of 2025.
A while back, we set ourselves the challenge of walking the Wainwrights, a group of 214 summits in England’s Lake District National Park, before my 50th birthday.
When I say ‘we’, I mean ‘I’. Millie is a dog, she has no concept of what we are doing, but mostly she enjoys the ride.
I’ve also been steadily working on my memoir ‘Motherhood, Millie, & Me’, and the similarities of the two concurrent challenges have not been lost on me.
Because walking uphill when you are not as fit as you’d like – with an excited 25kg dog bouncing around on her lead … isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s far from easy – it can sometimes be painful and frustrating as she strains away from me, determined to sniff every patch of grass going.
Other dogs bound up to us, supposedly more trustworthy off lead, and yet incapable (at times) of returning to their humans.
And, keen to play, Millie zooms around, twisting in her harness - my body often dragged sideways in the process.
In these moments, I am not experiencing the relaxed hill walk that I imagine others think I am … I’m not enjoying nor valuing what I am capable of … I am simply a late-forties-woman – remembering the fitter, younger, stronger version she used to be.
If you’ve ever walked in the Lake District, or any hills for that matter, maybe you can relate!
Throw in the odd bit of navigational challenge, wet windy weather, and a darkening sky … It’s easy in these moments to wonder why I bother … why I keep putting one foot in front of the other when the top seems so far and the challenges so great.
But steps, like words, add up. With a bit of strategic thinking, we can take breaks when we need them, enjoy the view, and feel into the magnitude of the whole experience.
And, invariably, sitting on the summit, pouring water into Millie’s bowl, sharing a boiled egg and cheesy oatcakes, the struggle fades away.
From this - more distanced - vantage point, it is easier to see how tiny steps add up.
How progress can be made.
How footsteps and words, when blended with intention, really can amount to something far greater.
How our writing or creative projects can come to fruition when hope and opportunity meet.
Take the tiny steps
If we don’t take the next steps, no matter how tiny or uncertain, then how can we ever expect to learn and grow – how can we truly get to know ourselves and find our place in the world – or fulfil the creative dreams we hold inside?
We may not know how many of these tiny steps it will take – but if we take enough of them, we do eventually get ‘somewhere’. And if we keep enough focus on where that place is, it might just be where we’d wanted to go.
So, take the steps – make progress on your journey – but remember to pause and enjoy the view.
Let go of how the outcome should look, and most importantly, remember how far you have already come.
I believe in you x
Writing Inside Out News
A cosy corner of Writing Inside Out on Substack to share a final comment, give thanks, & shine a light.
Thanks
Thank YOU for being here, taking steps beside me as I take them beside you. You are valued and appreciated - just by being you xxx
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Shout Out
This week’s Shout Out is to
, my friend and fellow writer - Rosen’s ‘tiny’ steps have led her from her beautiful home country of Uganda to married life in the UK, where she works as a midwife. She is a true inspiration.Subscriber Survey
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Hi Jo, just came across this, love the content, well done!
Really enjoyed this post and loved the pix. Thanks. BTW I did see it on Friday night but too clumsy with phone to write a comment.