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Andrea asks:
How do you keep writing, keep going, even when you don’t feel like it or you’re discouraged?
Please feel free to offer your answer, advice or share a story below. Please keep it clean and strictly related to the question above.
6 comments
Even though writing is a creative endeavor, one should treat it like a job. I’m my own boss (even though my editor might dispute that, lol) so I have to be my own taskmaster. I’m also lucky enough to have a vivid and overactive imagination. If one story isn’t working for me, I’ll pull up another one that’s been simmering and work on it. It all boils down to how important writing is to you. I wrote for years just because I had stories to tell and couldn’t stop. Being published was a dream, but I never figured it would be a reality. Now it is. And writing is even more a job!
For me, discouragement and the “don’t feel like it” moments are part of the cycle. When I hit those moments, and I think everyone does more than once, I remember a few things.
First the word “Believe.” I’m sure you and every other writer has a word or a phrase that will bolster your spirits. This is it for me. Believe. It’s a matter of believing – in the possibilities, in myself, in my passion. I love writing and even if someone told me tomorrow I would never sell another book, I’d still write. It’s a part of who I am, and I can’t lose that.
And it’s also a job. That’s hard to remember at times to treat it like a job. But the more of a habit I make it, the more matter-of-fact I get about the time I need to spend, the easier it gets.
However, there is also something to be said about the need to take a break. Whether it be a day or a week you step back from a specific work or all of your work, it can help. It usually means that I need to take a little time to recharge.
Jeannie,
I agree with you girls entirely. The inspiration is nice, and I definitely seek it, & the awesome scenes and stories we love can’t happen without it, but I seek it along a path that I know I have to travel, which is dogged forward motion. i.e. treat it like a job, write every day, etc.
When I am totally uninspired (which I am right now with my ms, Jeannie, so this is a rather timely topic) I set the alarm for 30 minutes, and I write for that time. I feel the urge to get up over & over, but I resist until I hear the buzzer. Then I set it again, for 20-30 minutes, and give myself that long of a break. 90% of the time, after 2-3 rounds of this, I’m writing past the buzzer. And if not, well, at least I get 3-4 hours of writing in a 6 hr day.
When I’m uninspired, I admit I get scared. Not sure if I’ll ever ‘tap into the well’ again. But then I think, Well, if all I have to go on is experience, I’ve ALWAYS had the creative feeling come back again, so who’s to say it won’t happen this time? Chances are, it will. And if I’m not sitting in the chair when it comes, I’ll miss it. 🙂
Kris
@Kris – I know exactly what you mean. The feeling of being uninspired as you write is awful. I really like your method of setting a timer, I think that’s a great option to make it happen.
And I also took a comment from Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her workshop in DC to heart. (And mind and soul…lol). She said, “Give yourself permission to put garbage on the page.”
That’s very freeing for me, because it means that as you’re writing, even if you’re thinking “this stinks”, it’s okay. You don’t have to worry about it NOW. Just write. Just keep going. You can and will fix it later. That statement is going on my wall, too. Because it really does help.
Sometimes inspiration is born from an A-Ha! moment… and sometimes you have to go into a cave with a club, and drag it out again. I seem to chase mine around more often than not in a crazy game of tag or hide and seek.
(see Jeannie’s above note about putting garbage on the page. I’ve not been succeeding at that myself lately!)
Remember, the idea was good when you had it. It’s still good, when it seems elusive. It’s great when you’re reaching for it. And later, when it’s printed and bound? It’ll be AMAZING. Keep reaching for your goals, and never ever let discouragement keep you from it.
I just keep plugging along as well. When you know that a story must be completed, you just soldier on. You might try a few things though, to help the inspiration along. Getting away from it for a day can help. Sometimes it is just exhausting when you have been working nonstop, and rewrites are due, but if you take a day off, you can sometimes get a fresh perspective.
Another suggestion would be to have more than one story going. If you are the sort of writer that can do this, and you do not have any deadlines, it can be very helpful. I have a number of ms, and when inspiration wanes on one, I just slide on to the next one for a day or two.
I have a number of suggestions in an article I wrote about this on my blogspot blog (repeated on my website blog). You can check it out if you like.
Good luck whatever you try.
April Dawn