Stamina for Writers

Received the following from a writer I'm working with:

"Through our time together, I've come to realize that writing is all about stamina!! I had NO idea how much THINKING and CONNECTING goes into a story.  I've done technical writing/reports/research for years but none compares with the effort necessary to craft a story. Novel writing is also much more intriguing and fulfilling." 

The writer is crafting a complicated murder mystery with many suspects, thus all the "thinking" and "connecting" he has to do. 

I am pleased he finds novel writing intriguing and fulfilling because as soon as he moves from plotting and planning, his true writer's journey begins.

Every protagonist embarks on a journey that sends her both externally and internally into, as yet, undiscovered places. A writer does, too. 

The uncertainty of creating something out of nothing often sends a writer spiraling into depression, confusion, blocks, and frustration. The more sensitive the writer, the deeper the abyss. 

"If you can do something else," an early writing instructor advised the class. "Do it."

If you can't silence the whispering or still the pen to paper, proceed with a willing heart. Trust the process. Magic happens....