There are many reasons folks don’t write. Lack of talent isn’t one of them.

Stewardship is. Those with a highly developed stewardship gene find writing a challenge in the same way that ordering the best thing on the menu is a challenge. Self-service is not comfortable.

Writing is self-service. That is, to do it, you don’t do other stuff, bettering humanity or earning a living, for instance.

Reconciling this can be done via three behaviors:

1. Forbid yourself to write regularly. Everything else is more important. You only can write longhand, sometimes, in a notebook. And not for very long.

2. Read instead. The suffering endured makes this worthwhile if you really wish to write because reading other writers is tough. It’s like watching the ball game you don’t get to play.

3. Substitute a writing-ish task for actually writing: edit your friend’s Web site, copyedit something, or do research.

If you practice these denials, then you will feel a little better about writing. Then, do everyone on our planet the great service of doing so. It’s in you.