How do you keep writing?

[Rachel Gough]

I have always wanted to be a writer because it's the most fulfilling work of expression that is available to me. The thing is I can never finish a project because I get so overwhelmed with my task that I convince myself that whatever I'm writing is garbage and it should never see the light of day. My obvious issues with low self-confidence issues aside, I want to know how all of you manage to keep doing it, and how you make yourself write; why is it important?

[AmandaR]

I don't know if I should be writing this, because I honestly am in the same boat. I do not write much because it always ends in this vicious cycle of low self-esteem concerning my work. It is so true that you are your own worst critic. On the days that I do conquer the "self-loathing", it usually comes about when I just view it as an art. The second I begin thinking about publishing or others reading my work, I stop. The pen literally never touches the same page again. Maybe I begin another story later, but the first story is forever unfinished. Just like you said though, writing can be the most fulfilling work of expression. It is a beautiful art form. If it is viewed as an expression, instead of a daunting task, I often get more work done. Maybe it would help to simply remind yourself of why you are writing. Is it a passion for the words coming through your pen/keyboard to your page/screen, or is it a money-making novel written for all the world to critique?
I am not sure if that will help at all, or even if it is right. But that is how I feel about it.

[Rachel Gough]

It helps to talk through the neurosis. To answer your question, writing is all about expressing myself when I normally can't but I will admit that it is also about showing other people. I don't want to make money, or be famous, but I want to communicate with people and tell stories that will resonate.
To put it more directly, and with less style, I want to share, but I don't because I think my stuff sucks, and that's my janky little loop of doom.

[kiwes]

If I may offer up some guidance, as I am an author and I have dealt with the issues many of you are sharing on this post. As a matter of fact, I've been in a writing slump for the last two years, and at first, it really frightened me. I have been writing all of my life. I wouldn't know how to live without words being a part of my life, but here I am, after my second novel, and I'm not writing anything. I beat myself up mentally over it, and many of my fans have asked when am I going to produce my third novel, and I have written more than half of it, and like yourself, felt, what the hell is this mess I'm writing, and chocked it up as a loss, and continued to read my favorite author's work.

Now, is that helping me by reading all the damn time instead of writing, well no, but what it is doing is healing me mentally, as I slowly am finding my writing bug is biting again. Writers are very tempermental people. We go from one mood to the next, which is why we are so creative and a little nuts, (no offense meant), but writers are a little out there--after all think of the things you read and then you think, wow this story was invented by someone's mind. We'd have to be nuts to write what we do, but we do it!

So here's my advice. STOP STRESSING OVER IT! For two years, I haven't written a word on my manuscript and I quit beating myself up over it. Obviously, there were other things I needed to deal with, and slowly I'm getting my edge back. Being on sites like this, help motivate me. Writing my own weekly blog keeps me relevant. So I am writing, just not in a storyline, but you get my drift. Don't beat yourself up! If you have someone you really trust, let them read what YOU think is junk? Give a copy to a few people and see what their reaction is. Make sure these people are truthful, because lies don't help an author, they hurt us.

One more thing before I go, when I wrote my first novel, I had a panel of women I selected from various ages and races, to read it. I wanted to see how this novel would impact each of these women. I gave them a survey to fill out and to be as honest as they could. I didn't care if they gave me a bad review or not, you learn from these things! Trust me, these women were brutally honest. I corrected many of the problems they felt I should address, and my novel did relatively well. It's something you might want to consider. Trust me, all negativity, isn't bad. I grow from it.

But no matter what! NEVER STOP WRITING! That's how you keep going, you never stop! You're writing on here, so half the battle is won!

[tennent10]

The only advice that I can offer would be, PUSH THROUGH. I promise the final product will be better than you thought it would. And I'm passionate when it comes to writing, and that really helps, you should be passionate about whatever you're writing, or it's just going to become boring and you wont want to finish it. So always choose a topic that you love, when possible.

[npandit]

Don't start writing it with the criticism or praise in mind. If everyone began their work only thinking about their paychecks, for example, or whether their boss was going to give them a pat on the back or a reprimand, they wouldn't be able to concentrate on their work. I think that is what is happening here. It's easy to get discouraged, but just power through!

[AmandaR]

@kiwes,
I completely agree with what you said. The second you start reading more, you want to write more. Thanks for the advice!

[WriterBLAlley]

I had that problem with my first novel. At 7500 words, I became overwhelmed by the prospect of writing an entire novel, and wasn't sure the story was worthy of the effort. (This will sound very familiar to anyone who reads my bio)

What opened the door again was a new perspective. Rather than focusing on writing a novel, I chose to focus on telling the story. Once I accepted the possibility of my idea being okay as a short story, I was able to proceed. The funny thing is, with that distant and intimidating goal removed I quickly reached 40k words. I continued my new approach, and eventually my story exceeded 130k. Now, that may not happen every time, but that's the point. When running a marathon don't focus on the finish line. Just run.

[moderntimes]

How do I keep writing? For me, it's the exact opposite. How do I keep from NOT writing! I write because I simply am compelled to write, and this is how it's been for me since high school, I suppose. When my Mom broke up housekeeping in 1980 (my father had passed away years before), I'd moved around the country and lived elsewhere for decades, and my sister shipped me about a dozen big boxes crammed with my early writing, pages and pages of it, most manuscript, some typed, most absolute drivel, but still I'd written it.

I write all the time --- as my girlfriend can wearily attest (ha ha). Once it was a big legal tablet on a clipboard, then a typewriter, now of course a laptop.

Last week I was working hard on my new novel (3rd in a series) and I got about 10,000 words total, revised and in decent shape -- 4 chapters essentially. And this was while going to the store, to dinner, spending time w. my girlfriend, catching Hannibal and Justified on TV, etc.

I really don't know why I write but I am thankfully unable to stop! So I write novels, short stories, essays, book reviews, articles, what have you.

And of course I take breaks to waste perfectly good electrons on forums...

[annabear3]

I totally understand this post. I have issues like this too. I'm always halfway through a novel and then thinking that it sucks and that I don't know why I ever thought it was a good idea in the first place and sometimes, I even throw it away. All I can say is ignore what your thoughts are telling you and forge ahead with the book. It's the first draft. Don't worry about how good it is. Just worry about finishing it. The great thing about writing is that you can rewrite and rewrite and rewrite until you get it exactly how you want it

[theewitchboard]

moderntimes is a good example of a person who doesn't stop writing. I think what you have to do is simply not worry about what you're writing outside of what it's trying to say, or rather what you're trying to say. If there's a story or something you want to describe then it can be written and used for anything! I'm writing all the time because I have to. Something has to be said and after I jot it down I decide where I'm going to post it or whatever, usually publish it somewhere. Some of those things take longer than others because you have to craft it if it's that kind of writing. I worry about that later.

[tobeywilson]

I distract myself with subplots and short stories until the story demands to be written again. I try to stay in the same subject area, do some research and see if something hits me. Basically, I'm extremely undisciplined and end up writing at 2 am.

[theewitchboard]

I distract myself with subplots and short stories until the story demands to be written again. I try to stay in the same subject area, do some research and see if something hits me. Basically, I'm extremely undisciplined and end up writing at 2 am.

You've actually touched upon something I'm trying out now. It should have been common sense the whole time. Sitting down and writing a book is usually seen as being constructed in a linear form. While this is fine and gets people to simply sit down and do it; it's better if the writer is more engaged with story and development and try to weave them together so it doesn't seem like such a chore and being patiently aware. I have to do it for long form stuff even if I don't want to, but it makes for more compelling original stuff. People can tell.

[moderntimes]

Well, writing a review (I write mystery novel reviews) or an essay or short story, these shorter pieces do tend to come out in a linear format in the mind first, a single premise or theme, theewitch.

Let me backtrack a bit... I write my book reviews like essays. I never summarize the plot -- that's too elementary and it gives away too much of the story, a spoiler. So I instead hew to the traditional book review practice per the New Yorker or NY Times Review of Books. I create a small essay about the book's themes and talk about that. So the review stands alone and is hopefully good reading on its own, entertaining by itself.

Anyway... a novel is a completely different thing. First, due to its length, and also because of the many subplots and sequences. So, in my writing of novels (2 thus far) each arc or set of chapters will encompass a stand-alone portion of the book. That arc may involve an action theme, or an expository sequence, or a reflective arc. Each of these 3-4 chapter groupings for me constitute a set piece that I work on as a whole. I write and rewrite and read and re-read and revise these few chapters until they are "pretty good but not perfect" (I have to draw the line somewhere or I'll be spinning my wheels). Then I write the next set of chapters, and always I go back and tweak and revise until it's as nearly perfect as I can make it.

Regardless, I keep working on the book, taking breaks of course to live my life and also to visit interesting forums (anybody know of any?)

[saviolo]

I can never finish a project because I get so overwhelmed with my task that I convince myself that whatever I'm writing is garbage and it should never see the light of day.

Ian Fleming felt exactly the same way. His approach was to correct his work for spelling errors but not to re-write or even look at it again until the book was finished. By then it was too late to really stop - having got so far momentum carried him through.

And routine. Yukio Mishima was the same - every midnight, at his desk, working.

I want to know how all of you manage to keep doing it, and how you make yourself write; why is it important?

I think the truth is that most writers go through exactly the same thing that you do. There's that wonderful enthusiasm when you find a new project, then the sense that this is going to take a large chunk of my life to complete, then the sense that you don't really want to continue.

The best answer I can give is that you have to enjoy the actual writing itself. Make your writing time as pleasant as possible. I sometimes find writers block melts away when I take a notepad over to my favourite coffee shop. On days when I really can't write, I'll research. And on days when I just can't do either, I go home and play on the X-Box, knowing I'll have a better day tomorrow (but days when I do nothing at all are very rare)

I also never think about the length of the project I'm working on, or when I'm 'supposed' to finish, I just work the scene I'm currently at. The first draft of anything is entirely for me.

As for why it's important? Actually it's not. If my work was never published the world would not change. But I enjoy it, and that's enough for me.