Simple Shifts for Stressed-Out Writers
Note: This week’s post is a break from my series of posts about editing first drafts. I will be returning to that series soon. The next installment will cover plotting/structural editing. Stay tuned!
I’d like to offer some friendly advice to those feeling bogged down by writer’s block, messy first drafts, laborious rewrites, or the many rejections that inevitably crop up on the road to publication. If you’ve been feeling despondent or discouraged in your writing and are looking for a shift in perspective, please help yourself to the following suggestions. It’s buffet style, so take what you like, and of course, hang on to your cutlery.
Check Your Motivation
It’s worth asking yourself why you’re writing in the first place.
Are you in it for the attention? For the money? (Ha!) Do you write as a way to process your ideas and reflections about life? Are you trying to be entertaining, or do you want to be taken seriously?
I’d wager that a number of my bouts with writer’s block have come from a preoccupation with how others might perceive my work. If you, like me, tend to operate as a chronic people pleaser in your day-to-day affairs, it behooves us both to think carefully about how that mentality affects our writing.
Ask yourself: Do you feel like your value as a human being depends upon your ability to produce quality work? Does your sense of self hinge not only on the work you create, but on what others think of that work?
If your honest answers to those questions has elicited a shock of dismay, try this quick mental exercise to help ground your motivation in a healthier place.
Think about a project you are currently working on. Clarify for yourself what it is you want to say through that work. Put aside your dreams for publication and recognition; put aside your fear of being judged as irrelevant or unskilled. Focus on the work itself. What is the message you’re trying to share?
Write down what you come up with. Get to the point. Make it as concise as possible.
Remind yourself of that message each time you sit down to write.
Give yourself permission to make a mess of it. Know that when you close your computer at the end of the day, your inherent value hasn’t changed a bit—and won’t anytime soon. The point isn’t what you create; it’s that you are a creator. The action defines you, not a flawless product.
Note: If you’d like more strategies for handling writer’s block, Susan Reynolds offers some practical guidance on the matter.
Check Your Standards
It’s entirely possible that you’re not even aware of the standards you hold yourself to as a writer. Yet, they stand grinning over your work like one of those You must be this high to ride signs in front of an epic roller coaster. You eagerly hop on the ride (“Yeah, I’m going to write a book, wooooo! Look, Mom, no hands!”), but if your work doesn’t live up to the bar of your self-imposed standards, you’re going to have an uncomfortable experience. (Okay, there’s a lot about writing a book that makes it an uncomfortable experience, but if you’re constantly disappointed in yourself, it’s even worse.)
Ask yourself honestly: What standards am I holding myself to in my work? Do I expect perfection? Do I expect a six-figure book deal by the end of the year? Or am I okay with a messy draft and a small readership?
Dig deep. Try to be specific as you name the expectations you have for yourself.
Once you’ve identified the standards you’ve been trying to meet, ask yourself where they came from. Does it make sense to hang onto them? Do they genuinely help you do your best work? Do you need to make some conscious changes in your approach to your craft?
Here are a few suggestions of reasonable standards you could set for yourself:
Write X number of days each week. (Don’t stress about meeting a particular word count unless you’re the kind of person who needs a concrete goal like that to keep yourself focused.)
Not everything on the page has to be good or even interesting. Just get something down.
Only write things that you are interested in reading. If you’re bored, pivot and approach the topic differently.
Don’t insult your own work, in your head or out loud, no matter how much you think it deserves it. Writing is a creative process. It’s meant to be messy.
These are just some ideas to get you started. Identify the standards that will serve you best, and give yourself the freedom to adjust them as you go along.
Remember, the goal is to write, not to write perfectly. Keep it simple. If your joy in the process is slipping away, make it a priority to get it back.