Let's take a poll today!
What's the main thing that keeps you from being successful in your writing?
A. Time management / Distractions (I need to write this chapter. I'm going to write this chapter...after I do the dishes. And watch Dora with my toddler. And rearrange the furniture and wash my car and clean out my closet and play 59048594 games of Candy Crush...)
B. Fear (Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of being laughed at, fear of not being understood, etc. The regular writer's haunted-house full of fears!)
C. Lack of knowledge (You have the story in mind, etc., you just aren't entirely sure you understand how to go about the actual craft of writing or have too many craft questions hanging you up)
D. Shortage of chocolate chip cookies, aka brain food (Just kidding. You can't choose this one!)
Own up in the comments, and let's discuss this :)
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If by success you mean calling the story "finished", then I'd say C...because I have written it and am working on learning all I can to make it better. (I'm happy to put off the dishes or laundry for writing purposes...)
ReplyDeleteI do have a dose of fear in there. LOL. It's not so much about rejection as it is the over-analyzing I'd get from certain people about what and why I write. It's personal and I don't feel I should have to justify it. But I don't let it stop me from writing; I found a way around it by choosing a pen-name. ;)
I would say A,B, &C. It's like a snowball and I'm not always sure what comes first. It's probably something like I have a spark of an idea but I'm not sure how to flesh it out or my brainstorming seems lame. Then, I get afraid....this'll never be good enough. People will laugh at me. Why did I ever think I could be a writer? So I loose motivation and find distractions.
ReplyDeleteLike, I thought it'd be easier to take the pressure off, write a short story. Since it'd be focusing on one thing I wouldn't be overwhelmed by figuring out plot lines OR exhausted by the length. I have an idea and am having a hard time figuring out the task of it. Like do I want to set it at a bakery- what are the tasks that could cause conflict.
A coffee shop- same question.
A dance studio? How would that work. Things like this create fear and spur distraction.
Short stories are actually a good idea, I think. Back when I actually used to get things done *winsome chuckle* most of it was because of short stories. You never know when characters from a short story will become potential for a novel. My all-time favorite character was actually a character in a short story of mine. Now, I want to use him in a novel if I can ever come up with a plot that suits him. And if I ever actually write a novel, that is.
DeleteA and B. Mostly A, I think. I end up getting distracted and then I fall out of love with my story and lose confidence in my ability. Ahem. The lack of problem D occasionally contributes to problem A.
ReplyDelete*skipping to my laptop* "Time to write... Oooh. Cookies!" *skipping over to the cookies* "Writing? Who actually does that?" ;)
I think mine is actually a E - Not having enouh funding to do as many book marketing things as I would like. :) And, D, too of course.
ReplyDeleteTime management. I work better on a schedule, so I'm actually looking forward to starting the new school year.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for being transparent and sharing! I'm going to do a follow up post on this so get ready ;)
ReplyDelete