With slight trepidation I begin my next major writing project: an hour and a half dramatic production for my drama team, The RLT Players.

This is the fifth year in a row that I’ve written a full-length show for them. You would think that it gets easier or that the confidence of putting on wonderful shows in the past would mean something as I begin this new writing endeavor, but it doesn’t.

Each one is a battle with words. Each one is a battle with ideas. Each one is a battle with doubt.

Can I really do this again? Can I improve on what I’ve done before?

No one wants to slide backwards and create something that wasn’t as good as a year ago.

These are the thoughts that slip back and forth in my mind as I get ready to write.

What’s a writer to do? There is only one thing: persevere and move forward. One word after the other. It’s what writers do, even when they aren’t convinced that what they are writing is really up to par.

But what I think or feel doesn’t matter. All that matters is the time and dedication that I devote to my hands against the keys.

So let doubt rear its ugly head. When it does, I know that I’m on the verge of creating something new, something wonderfully new and unpredictable. I’m on course to add to the ideas and thoughts which have been formulating in my head for the past several months. This is the time to let it all come out, regardless of result or acclaim or high criticism.

A writer is meant for only one time: writing time.