"I can't write! I suck at it. I don't know why I waste my own
and everyone's time. I should just give up."
From what other writers have told me, I am far from being the only one of us who regularly goes through periods when I say these things to myself.
- Do you go through this with your own writing?
- What do you think causes this?
- What do you do to get yourself up and going again? Does it work?
If you would rather be anonymous, just choose that option from the form.
Thanks!
I don't know if all the reading I do has anything to do with it.. constantly exposed to people who write better than i do or at least appear to be more facile at it.. since all I see is the finished product.
ReplyDeleteUsually what works for me is to remind mysllef that even if it was proved that i suck, I still enjoy writing.. and so I get back into it. Until the next time.. ;)
I think this is rather timely, especially since I just got done saying how silly the popularity game is. I work in the realm of webfiction, and in many cases, it's just a popularity contest. Some people will get a bazillion replies on their posts, while others are completely ignored. The same people comment on the same stuff - mutual admiration societies. And I admit, petty as it can be, I look at it sometimes & I say, "Well, crap. Do I suck or something? How come nobody falls all over themselves about anything I write?"
ReplyDeleteI take it too personally, then I become very down on myself. I don't want to write, because I figure nobody's gonna care if I do anyway. Which is the stupidest way to look at it, but that's how I see it sometimes. I realize that I must be more accepting that people are people, no matter where you go...and some never really outgrow the high school mentality of the "cool kids club."
If I listened to all that garbage and really let it bother me, I probably wouldn't get out of bed half the time...let alone be 13 chapters into my work. I just focus on the story itself, the characters, and what I like about it. Negativity is not allowed when I'm trying to build myself back up. I study the positive aspects of it and resolve that I'm going to continue, because I just feel so compelled to do so. I don't care if those people ever think of me as "one of them," I know my own merits as an author, and I know I'm destined for greater than this.
Hang in there, keep your chin up & I hope you're able to get back on the horse very soon. Your story is worth telling, and trust me - SOMEONE out there will love it! :)
Best wishes,
Bex
An editor from long ago now passed once told me that I couldn't take rejection personally any more thah I could success. The kind of story I wrote may not be exactly what they wanted, but that's when a good query letter and now internet search would help.
ReplyDeleteI was rejected from a national Canadian paper this year, I'll try again or I'll look for other markets that will hopefully accept my story.
I think having friends who are writers who can commiserate or who will tactfully critique you always helps.
Someone once told me that although the money is nice, journalists and writers write for the story they need to tell. It's almost like you'll burst if you don't get it out.
Hope that helps.
Anonymous -- do you suppose that's really true? I cannot think of one story, poem, article, or idea that made me feel I'd burst if I didn't tell it.
ReplyDeleteThings interest me and I think they'd make a good story or that I could do a decent job on it -- but all that passion and "must" stuff doesn't happen for me.
On the other hand, why on earth does anyone write anything anyway? I'm glad they do, but the process is so twisted and idiosyncratic I don't know why anyone does.
Long years of meditation and of exploring consciousness have made creativity a non-issue. The creativity is always there. It seems to choose it's own form and time. But it doesn't do the work for you.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. . . I've gone through all of these things myself. There was(and still sometimes is) a period where I want very much to have as much popularity as certain authors. If I do this too long, I get sucked into the feeling that I can't possibly write as well as they do, and then go the opposite tack and think I can write better. What really keeps me going is writing a story I think must be told, even if it isn't "popular" in a certain sense. Also it helps to be with other writers who are struggling with the same thing, either in a critique group or some other connection. The support really helps.
ReplyDeleteAnne G
I am not a widely published author, but I do have a few paid for hire magazine articles in print (paper and ink, not just electrons) so I know I can write. I mostly write for fun so I don't take it too seriously when my brain freezes at the sight of a blank page. I forget who first complained of the tyranny of the blank page but when it hits, and my idea is lost in temporary amnesia land, I do what Bill Cosby said, "Go where no one can see you and squeeze your brains to get them to work." Just the thought of doing it usually gets me started. Just be sure no one watches you squeeze your butt with both hands as that will cause you to forget it all again. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteI think you just have to keep trying. I am sure anyone's writing gets better if you keep doing it (mine certainly had and I am not saying it its that great now). Keep bashing away.
ReplyDeleteBut I think if you do it because you enjoy it: you enjoy spending time in the world you write about with the characters you create then that enthusiasm will come through in the writing.
I am not quite as worried about what others think than that sometimes I look at my own writing and am wildly impressed and other times I look and come to the conclusion I have no idea what I am doing. I guess all I can do is work hard and know my characters will get me through.
ReplyDeleteWriting is a very solitary and introspective craft, rather suspect amongst many and often disparaged in a world that finds thought scary, craft out of date, and innovation suspect unless it becomes an almost instant success. For all these reasons, we want to hide inside the covers of our laptops because we fear sharp ridicule of a part of us that is very tender. Every writer feels this way, even the successful ones. After all, the last book might have "made it" but the next one might not. Maybe what keeps us all going is the inability to silence ourselves because we are compelled to write, even if it isn't published or isn't making it to the NY Times best-seller list. For what it is worth, some books that have become classics did so after the death of the author while the best-sellers of the era have long since become illegible dust. Each of us has to decide if the compulsion to tell tales is worth it. If it is, the more practical advice is find others of like mind for a discussion/critque group. Take classes in the craft if possible (and more than one in case you get a real nay-sayer), and perhaps most importantly decide whether you just want to practise the craft of writn or want to become that ubiquitous "famous author". OK, now I'm off my soapbox and will retreat into the 13th century!
ReplyDelete