Drive for yourself

A good piece of advice for a motorcyclist is that when you are riding in a group, you must drive for yourself.

If you're riding with others, and they're driving fast, you'll also have the urge to. The danger is that it'll take you out of your comfort zone and put you at risk of a fall or a crash.

For your safety, you have to ride your ride. Stay within your comfort zone, even if the social pressures ask you to go faster.

Apply the same to your writing.

When you look at any corner of the internet, there's a lot of social pressure to do things a certain way: write lots of words, fewer words, wait for inspiration, write no matter what, use a pen, a typewriter, a computer, publish, don't publish, outline, don't outline, market, be on social media, avoid it all.

You have to find your comfort zone and work within it. It doesn't mean you can't change or grow, but forcing yourself to write because of what others tell you only puts you at risk of a crash—creatively, emotionally, or financially.

Do what makes you comfortable and happy—or why are you doing it?