There are times when I doubt if I’m ever going to become a successful writer or that down the line I’ll fail and give up. That idea cuts me deep. But when I voice my concerns to Chris he tells me that you only fail as a writer when you give up. He says that me putting my work out is more than a lot of other people will ever do and it makes me feel better about myself 🙂 Thanks Lovely Chris.
Tag: doubt
Why Some Stories Take Longer Than Others.
Stop. Start. Stop. Start again.
Zoom, zoom, zoom. Page after page.
Why do some of my stories take longer to write than others?
Is it because I’m just not that into them?
Or maybe they are more boring than my others?
Maybe I was never going to be writing at all today.
I finish a chapter than pause, I start the next one and it says unfinished for weeks. But then I open word again and it’s page after page.
The word count passes 10,000 and I pause again.
Is it because I’m lazy? Procrastination? Writer’s Block?
Is that even a real thing? Isn’t it just a physical manifestation of our sub-conscious knowing that there is something wrong with the story?
I change the story’s direction in my head and I write some more.
I pause, I have doubts.
Maybe a break will do.
Let my grey mushy brain churn my story in my sleeping brain.
Maybe in a few days, I’ll have more to add, even though I kind of know where my story is going anyway.
The surprising habits of original thinkers | Adam Grant
Giving myself a pep talk
There are times when I don’t feel so good about my writing despite the fact that a few days earlier I could be completely fine with it. So in the space of a few days what makes me think differently?
Doubt and fear.
- I’m afraid at times that I won’t achieve my dreams of becoming an author, even though I want to so much.
- I’m afraid that no matter how much effort I put into my writing, it’ll never be as good as other great pieces of writing.
- I’m afraid that writing will always be a ‘side hobby’ that I can only do after everything else is done.
- I’m afraid that my stories wont even live up to my own expectations or that I simply can not express them the way I want to.
- But most of all, I’m afraid to give up on my passion and dreams as that would be the most terrible thing of all.
But no matter how much I doubt myself or am afraid of the possibilities of my own short comings I push through because I remember you can not pursue success without the possibility of encountering failure. And you can not have success if you are afraid of failure.
After I come out of these periods of doubt I see that my stories aren’t so bad and with each round of editing they are improving. Everyday I am coming closer to publishing my first novel and with the desire to match great pieces of writing I will end up publishing some great pieces of work.
Stick by your dreams
(I forgot where I sourced this image from)
To fellow writers and artisans if you ever feel doubt setting in don’t listen to it. If your dream is to write a novel, paint a picture, sculpt a figure, or even build a thing, then don’t give up on it.
Just because that one or those multiple people didn’t like your creative work doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because you think that piece of work you created is bad doesn’t mean it’ll all be bad.
For people who have a calling to the creative industries or any industry for that matter never let doubt, whether it is yours or someone else’s stop you. If you want to succeed in a creative industry remember that times can and will be tough. And the money may not be all that great, but then you wouldn’t have committed to such an endeavor if money was your reward.
But the reward of creating something that is appreciated by other people is something different. They might not understand the full depth of your work but it doesn’t matter. They appreciate it for their own reasons.
Stephanie Haggarty 