August IWSG: Writer's Block
 |
| Join the IWSG! |
I can 100% say that any and every time I have felt like NOT writing it stems from insecurity. Nothing kills the creative spirit like questioning your worth as a writer. That shadowy doubt shades everything until you don't even want to touch a keyboard (or a pen, depending on how you're writing) ever again. It feels like a huge waste of time and energy.
How do I deal with it? I remind myself why it is that I started writing in the first place. I didn't start writing my first story because I thought it would be an easy way to make money. Or get famous. Honestly, I started my first story without any intention of ever sharing it with anyone.
I wrote it for me.
I wrote it because I love to make sh*t up. The only reason my writing was ever "discovered" was because I lost the file I was working on and had to call my dad (a tech wizard) to help me recover it. He found it, read it, and shared it with my mother who was absolutely relentless in her support.
No one could nag and badger better than my mother. I started sending out manuscripts just to keep her off my back. To be completely honest, when I sent out that first story, I was terrified. And it wasn't because I feared it would be rejected. No, I fully expected and was ready to deal with rejection. I was afraid the it would succeed. My biggest fear was that writing would become a business and I'd grow to hate it. Make-believe is my happy place. I never want to be blocked out of it.
So, when the words won't come, I quit trying to be an author and I go back to writing stories.
August 5 question - Quote: "Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don't write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be."
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?
Everything I write, without exception, in some ways turns into a love story. I'm an unapologetic happily-ever-after junkie. So, I guess the answer is no. As of yet, I have never surprised myself.
The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!
Keep Writing with Fey Blog Hop: Share your story about writer's block, depression, and/or
burnout and how you overcame it or what you are currently doing to heal.
Catch the sparks you need to conquer writer’s
block, depression, and burnout!
When Chrys Fey shared her story about depression
and burnout, it struck a chord with other writers. That put into perspective
for her how desperate writers are to hear they aren’t alone. Many creative
types experience these challenges, battling to recover. Let Keep Writing with
Fey: Sparks to Defeat Writer's Block, Depression, and Burnout guide you
through:
· Writer's block
· Depression
· Writer's burnout
· What a writer doesn’t need to succeed
· Finding creativity boosts
With these sparks, you can begin your journey of
rediscovering your creativity and get back to what you love - writing.
BOOK LINKS:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chrys Fey is the author of Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You
from Idea to Publication. She is also the author of
the Disaster Crimes series. Visit her
blog, Write
with Fey, for
more tips on how to reverse writer’s burnout. https://www.chrysfey.com/
