People may argue over whether “writer’s block” is a real thing, but there is no denying that writing can be hard work.
While being a writer is often glamorized, glorified, and sought after, writing can also be a challenging, messy, and downright miserable business. As Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith is credited with saying, “You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.”
That sounds… pleasant.
While we are (hopefully!) not *actually* bleeding, writing can be challenging emotionally, mentally, and physically. We don’t get enough sleep because we’re spending our time writing, only to realize a sub-plot doesn’t make sense. Maybe one of our characters needs to be cut. Or suddenly we find out that our protagonist is a jerk and something needs to be done about that.
It can be tempting to hit delete, shove the papers in the trash, and do something else. Find something easier. Forget about this whole “writing a book” thing.
Hang in there, my friend! You’re not alone. This is a hard and tricky journey we’re on together and we must be brave. The fact that things are hard means that we’re actually trying and that we’re dreaming big dreams (good for us!) and there must be some progress being made somewhere so let’s press on a bit further.
1- Remember Why You Started
Do you remember when you first started writing? What was your motivation? Did you have an “ah-ha” moment when you decided to be a writer? Have you had wonderful past experiences when writing brought you great joy?
Think about now. What brought you to your current project? Do you have a writing mission statement or a goal of some kind?
Remembering why we started writing can give us the purpose to keep going. It can remind us that this isn’t an arbitrary cruel task we have assigned ourselves but it is something with meaning, purpose, and joy. That makes it worth working for.
These are truths to cling to when things are hard.
2- Remember to Give Yourself Grace
It’s important to remember that we’re only human. (At least I’m assuming you all are… 😉 )
This means that we’re going to make mistakes.
Maybe our writing has been hard because (shocker) our first drafts haven’t been perfect. Things are messy because we’ve struggled in getting our plotting right and scenes are dragging. Sometimes we just can’t get the right words to put what’s in our head on the page.
Ever been there? I have.
Don’t be discouraged! We are in this together and we all have more to learn. We can learn from our mistakes so long as we don’t give up. It doesn’t happen overnight.
Writing a novel is a learning process.
Our first drafts are messy because they’re just that- drafts. Our second and third drafts will probably be messy too. It’s okay to have messy drafts.
In fact, in some ways it’s good to have messy drafts because it means we’re learning. It means we’re willing to try new things in our journey. Not only do we need to learn and try new things, but writing well can also require honesty and vulnerability, and that is messy and hard.
So be easy on yourself if it’s a long process to get where you want to be. You’ll get there.
3- Remember Self Care
Along with giving ourselves grace when we make mistakes we also need to be practicing self care. Writing is exhausting work in many ways. It can be common to burn out either physically or emotionally which leads to us being sick, tired, and struggling to focus or have the creativity or enthusiasm our stories deserve.
Sometimes we’re just going to be busy and we can’t do anything about it.
But if we can say “no” to an outing here or there, set boundaries to make sure we get the rest we need, ensure we’re eating right and drinking plenty of water- these small steps can go a long way. Taking care of ourselves is a way of investing in ourselves and in our writing.
Our writing will suffer if we’re drained and constantly running on empty. Make sure to be treating yourself well both for your sake and for your writing.
4- Remember to Try New Things
Maybe “writer’s block” is real and maybe it isn’t. But the fact remains that sometimes we’re just not sure what or how to write. Sometimes we just aren’t sure what to do next.
Have a huge plot hole? A character who is just plain boring? A story that doesn’t go anywhere? A novel that needs revisions but you’re not sure where to start?
Sometimes in order to move forward we need to shake things up a bit. We need to try something new, change our perspective, or find some new energy.
Sometimes taking a break from the current project and working on something else can help spark new ideas.
Sometimes writing in a new location can help. I like getting outside when I can though I’ll admit I’m easily distracted so this doesn’t always work O:-)
Try writing longhand for a change. There’s something about the physical act of writing on a page that can be extremely freeing and helpful in getting brainstorming kick-started.
Try fiddling with the basic assumptions in your story. Does your protagonist need to succeed at that plot point? What if they fail? What if their friend gave them bad advice? What if their friend was actually their enemy? There can be all sorts of possibilities once we start thinking outside the box… And since it’s our own story I guess we can do whatever we want, right? 😉
5- Remember to Keep Going
Sometimes writing is wonderful and fun and exciting, but sometimes it’s going to be work and feel like work. And that’s okay.
There’s nothing wrong with us if we don’t enjoy writing every single day, we just want to be careful not to get discouraged to the point where we stop writing. And we don’t want to get sucked into a whining downward spiral of the tortured writer mentality where we complain about our writing to each other but never actually write. Instead, we want to find friends who will commiserate when things are hard but who will ultimately encourage you to keep going.
We need to keep writing.
This is the number one trait that makes someone a true writer: they write. And they don’t give up.
Maybe you only write 50 words a day and you’re pretty sure they’re all rubbish. That’s okay.
Maybe your revisions are creeping along at a snail’s pace but you’re forcing yourself to do it every day anyway. Good for you.
Step by step, people. Step by step. The steps will add up in time.
And every bit being written is bringing you a bit closer to your goal.
We may not get there as soon as we’d like but we’ll get there.
6- Remember it Will Get Better
So you’re remembering your writing goals, taking care of yourself, and writing despite it being hard. And you know what?
One of these days it’s not going to be so hard. You’ll look at your work and realize the ideas are coming, you’re focused, and things are coming together. It can happen just like that.
The words will come again. The excitement and satisfaction of creating new worlds and discovering new things will return.
And if you’ve been pressing on and writing through the hard times, you’ll be ready when the inspiration returns. You’ll be prepared to take advantage of the energy and channel it into your story.
Writing won’t be hard forever. Our drafts and projects will get finished.
And in the meantime we press on.
Because we’re writers. And that means, whether the days are good or bad, we write.
What about you? Is writing hard for you these days? What struggles do you find in the writing process and what do you do to overcome them?
