What’s your excuse for not writing?

Sep 16 2008

It has been a while since I posted a writing tip, so I thought now is a good time for one since summer is over and we will soon be facing several months of dark, cold, snowy weather (at least here in Chicago!). This is the time of year when my creative writing output starts to increase and I start to read a lot more as well.

But today I’m going to focus on writing. Throughout the year, there are certain things that keep me from writing. No, I’m not talking about that anti-writing demon that lives in my closet and tackles me whenever I attempt to write something (another post for another day). I’m talking about various "mental blocks" that can keep me away from a current project, or even from starting a new one. There are many mental blocks, and I’m not going to attempt to cover them all here, but I will talk about the ones I suffer from the most.

Here are a few mental blocks that keep me from being a productive writer:

1. "I’ve started a great story, but don’t know how to end it!" - This is perhaps the biggest reason I have so many unfinished short story manuscripts stuffed into my file drawer. Writing just an adequate ending is hard enough, much less a great ending.

The Antidote: Getting through this mental block requires two main ingredients. First, know that whatever you write is not set in stone. You can change the ending later and edit your manuscript. Keeping this in the back of my mind really does help. Secondly, brainstorm ideas for how your story will end. Just write down anything that comes to mind. Then, write a couple different ending based on your brainstorming session. This also reinforces the idea that nothing is set in stone and will help open up your creativity!

2. "I can’t start writing anything new because I have no good ideas" - I can’t tell you how many times I have avoided writing on the premise of not having any good ideas. This is not a good habit to fall into. I think part of this stems from general laziness that writers are prone to fall into.

The Antidote: Remember that most of writing involves more hard work than "inspiration". So if you’re waiting to feel "inspired," you might be waiting a while. Finding story ideas is easy. Ask yourself "What if.." questions (this is my favorite method). Or, check out this post I wrote called Easy Story Ideas in 5 Minutes or Less. Still not helping? Then it might be beneficial to realize even the most creative minds in the world have to work hard at being "creative" – like John Lennon did!

3. "I can’t write because no one will read my work" – Writing is a very solitary act. And unless you’re writing in a personal journal or diary, you hopefully want others to read that short story you worked so hard on. Knowing that manuscript is just going to collect dust in a drawer isn’t much motivation for writing. I have found myself feeling depressed about who is going to read a particular piece, and then lost all motivation to work on it.

The Antidote: There are a lot of ways you can curb this ailment. Start a writing group with some friends. You can share your work, get valuable feedback, and encourage one another. Submit your fiction for publication. There’s still a huge market for short fiction out there. At least read a few issues of the publication you’re interested in and follow the submission guidelines carefully. Set goals about submitting so many manuscripts within the next year!

4. "I can’t write because I’m too busy" - Sometimes life gets in the way of our dream of literary fame. We have other responsibilities besides writing, like homework, other jobs, chores, errands and thousands of other little things that get in the way of our creative endeavors. Not only do these distractions keep you from writing, they can be physically and emotionally draining, so when you do have a spare moment to write, all you wanna do is curl up on the bed and cry.

The Antidote: Solving this problem can often be just as creative as writing a novel. And creativity is the key because you have to be creative with your time. Maybe wake up a little earlier in the morning (this seems popular among many famous authors), or stay up a little later at night. There are endless ways you can work writing into your schedule, you just have to do it.

5. "I can’t write because I’ll never be as good as [name of famous author here]" - Sometimes after reading a really good book or short story, I’ll feel even more depressed because I’ll start comparing my own writing to that of the author I just read. When you start making comparisons like this, you’re heading down a long, dark road that can be difficult to recover from.

The Antidote: You should never compare yourself to another author, especially if they are famous. When I find myself doing this, I have to work hard to push that person out of my head and concentrate on my own writing. This can be difficult at times, but persistence is the key. This is also another reason to belong to a writing group, because your fellow writers can probably sympathize with you and help you improve your own writing!

Some final words

By no means is this a comprehensive list of excuses we give not to write. And when you really think about it, that’s all they are, excuses. If you wanna be a writer, then you have to write. Period. There’s no other way around it. No one is going to do the writing for you or force you to sit down and punch out a few chapters on your laptop. The motivation has to come from within, especially when you’re starting out and you still have a lot to prove.

Don’t despair! All writers have gone through these same issues (and even more). The next time you don’t think you can write anything, think about the underlying reason and find a way to fix it. Just don’t feel that way. Kidding!

One Response

Some good points, particularly in #1 an #2. I see a lot of writers who can’t bring themselves to start writing until they get their Big Idea, and then can’t write the Big Idea because they haven’t had the practice. You can learn a lot more by writing a story with a bad ending than you can by leaving a story unfinished!

rob 9/18/2008 3:35 am