I admit: I am a slow writer. I may also procrastinate. Gulp. I’m not the poetic stare‑out‑the‑window‑while‑inspiration‑floats‑by slow. I’m more like my striped Nerite snail, happily-grazing-on-algae slow. You know the pace. Inch forward. Pause. Inspect the scenery. Inch forward again. I’m fairly certain my real problem is editing while writing. My brain is an overzealous editor wearing bifocals, clutching the red pen like a sword. Every sentence must pass inspection before the next one is allowed to exist. It’s exhausting. Meanwhile, some writers casually produce a devotion or blog everyday like they’re flipping pancakes on a Saturday morning. I, on the other hand, sit surrounded by my collection of pens. Because clearly the solution to slow writing is buying every kind of pen on the planet to unlock my writing genius. (If only that worked, right?) And then there’s the coffee. Writing without coffee is like trying to start a lawn mower with a strand of spaghetti. Might happen in a glowing green galaxy where spaghetti has horsepower. But here on earth? Not a chance. The good news? I’ve learned to never draft and edit at the same time. That’s a no‑no. It’s also a stubborn habit to break. Drafting is messy. Editing is tidy. Mixing them together is like mopping the hardwood floor while the dog is still rolling in the mud. And here's the thing: I never used to be that way. Drafting and editing slowly sprouted one day and it became an mountainous battle. I started rereading paragraphs, studying sentences, agonizing over finding the perfect word. Seriously, the thesaurus became my best friend. So, here’s my tried‑and‑true plan: First: music. Second: write the ugly draft. No polishing. No word wrestling. Just forward motion. Third: fix it later—but don’t procrastinate. Big breath. Think of writing as a sea turtle gliding through warm ocean water. No hurry. No panic. Just steady movement in the right direction. Turns out slow isn’t always a problem. Sometimes it simply means you’re taking the scenic route … and that’s okay. Never rush. Just put one word in front of the other. Blessings, Linda ~~Writing well isn’t about speed—it’s about moving forward at your own pace.~~ LM