When Your Writing Just Doesn't Cut It

Writing sometimes feels like that kind of endeavor that doesn't give enough back for what you pour into it. Effort, time, focus, different kinds of sacrifice—all these things come into play, no matter the scope of the writing project you're tackling. And honestly? Sometimes writing can seem like more trouble than it's worth.

What setbacks can you look forward to as a budding writer? Let's take a little walk down the Hall of Shame...

Fear of Failure

A lot of writers wait to start their creative journeys because of a niggling little thing called fear. It's not hard to understand why some artistic types don't actually end up pursuing their passions until later in life. It's intimidating to let yourself be raw and open with an endeavor that may not actually pay off in any tangible way in the future.

And you know what? The fear never actually goes away.

I've been a writer myself for a while—going on about fifteen years—but there was a long stretch of time where I never shared my writing with anyone. What was I missing? The tough skin to withstand any hint of criticism, constructive or otherwise. Even now, whenever I get feedback, a part of me withdraws into a shell. Though I am still trying to process how my writing fares with actual readers, there needs to come a point where you release "your darlings" out into the world, no matter if they sink or swim after you throw them in the pool.

But the mention of feedback leads me to the next challenge to face writers new and old...

Lack of Readers

Not everyone has a handy-dandy cheerleading team ready to support them after every hard-won piece of writing is finished. At best, you'll have people in your life telling you not to quit your day job while, at worst, there will be others who say it's a waste of time to write if you're not seeing any kind of kickback from all the time you devote to your craft. I've had both experiences, and they still occur to this day. And honestly? It might not be best to reach out to your friends and family first when it comes to feedback on your work.

The nice thing is that, in an increasingly networked world, the internet is the place to find potential readers from all walks of life. However, it does take a certain amount of courage to step out into that sphere, whether that be through a platform like Vocal, Medium, Wattpad, etc., or another venue like your favorite social media of choice. Writers cannot, and I would probably stress should not, write in a vacuum.

There is, of course, the matter of caution you might want to exercise as you wade into the waters of social media. While the writing communities on Twitter and Facebook can be quite welcoming, egos can get involved rather quickly at times. Try not to be too sensitive, and don't take things personally. Not every fellow writer will act as a rock of support for you and your writing.

Even so, you will likely find many individuals who do want to lift you up. And, if you return the favor by reading others' works, you will be not only paying it forward but also honing your own craft by seeing how others' writing succeeds in ways yours may not.

But let's say you have your writers' community already and have dealt with the struggle of fear in your creative process. You want to start getting your writing out there any way you can, and so we come to my next caveat...

Rejection

That dreaded word can cast a pall on any creative spirit. It is definitely an intimidating concept: you put so much of yourself into your creations, yet you still feel the need to share them with the world, even if that means eventual pain and disappointment on your end of the field.

My own personal bane is the realm of writing contests—namely the ones where the entry fee guarantees you a submission but won't result in any editorial feedback (unless you pay the added fees to get what often amounts to a personalized rejection letter). It's easy enough to say that you must improve before you will get accepted, but what happens when you have no idea what did work and what didn't? From this perspective, it's even more apparent that you need to find your own group of writers who will help you pin down the triumphs and the downfalls of your writing of choice.

But the inevitable truth is that everyone faces rejection. No one, not even the most popular author in the world, has been a superstar over night. You can get defensive when it comes to rejection, but it's an embarrassment all writers have to live with. Just think of it when it does happen as a badge of honor that you tried. And trying is half the battle since some writers never even make it to that point, instead choosing to closet or trunk their stories before they ever have the chance to come alive and take flight.

If rejection isn't a problem for you—been there, done that—then let's come to my next point that is pretty relevant to the writing life in the 21st century.

Struggles with Self-Promotion

One thing that I think bothers a lot of writers, especially those starting out, is the idea of "selling themselves." However, whether you're a freelancer or an indie author-in-the-making, you're going to have to become accustomed to tooting your own horn because nobody else will do it for you.

Whether you're hoping to snag a string of publications in your favorite literary magazine or placing your foot into the agent-querying circle for traditional publication, then there will come a time when you need to take the leap into social media. For an easy frame of reference, take Vocal: this site, though it is a platform for creators, will not advertise your stories for you. Even getting a fleeting Top Story or a place on Vocal's social media feed does not guarantee that people will come back to your page whenever you have posted something new. That reader base you want to establish? You have to build it yourself. And you may just have to take it one tweet or post at a time.

While you may at first be tempted just to spam your personal social media accounts with links to your work, it might be better in the long run to create specific professional accounts to promote your writing. If the goal is for you to be a respected author and Creator of Things, then the best thing you could probably do for yourself right now is to create your specific space for promoting your writing endeavors, even if you're in an early stage like creating a blog or posting for the first time to a site like Vocal or Medium.

Basically, what you need to evaluate quickly is this conversation with yourself: what do you want the fruits of your writing life to be? And when you come to that answer, you need to outline the steps necessary to reach that goal and its future framework.

What if you have faced all these challenges yet still struggle? Let's discuss the elephant in the room that everyone wants to ignore...

Writer's Block

I know: so many people think "writer's block" is just an excuse for lazy people who simply want to claim they're writers while not doing the hard work involved. Many writers don't believe in writer's block, period. The thought process goes like this: "Plumbers don't have days where they just can't fix pipes. They get in there and do the dirty work, no matter how they feel about it. Writers need to just sit down and work like hell to get those words out."

Me? I do believe that I face writer's block from time to time. My form of writer's block is often an after-effect of my mood—usually relating to depression—where I can look at a blank screen for hours, dread curling in my stomach, as I experience this deep-seated fear that I will never be able to create anything ever again. The feeling eventually passes, but when it lingers I become convinced that every piece of writing that came before was some trick, a fluke, rather than the result of discipline and mindfulness. (You may liken this to the dreaded imposter syndrome as well.)

Writer's block can also just be a very vicious brand of perfectionism. Have you ever written something, one moment glad to be finished with something new and then the next you hate every word of it? I've been there, and it's honestly one of the worst feelings in the world. But there are glimmers of hope, regardless, where you can see the promise of something there mixed up in the tangle of threads you've created.

While I'm not a professional writer yet myself, I try to "follow the rules" that the writers I admire have touted in conversations about their own writing processes. "Write every day." (I try.) "Don't edit as you go." (I try this too.) "Just write the thing and don't be afraid to make a crappy first draft." (I try this all the time, but it is so, so hard.)

What we feel is writer's block could also probably be just an anxiety response to our fears regarding our creativity. It definitely does not help that writing is still put on this pedestal as if it is a magical art only the rare few can harness and wield to success. No. Writing is like any other task in the world: you need to start somewhere, you will not be great right at the start, you need to practice before you get better, and you only "fail" if you give up entirely. Yes, there are prodigies out there—as there are in any field—but you don't have to beat yourself up for not being the Chosen One who will publish hundreds of stories to great success over a lifetime career of writing.

Just think: there are more of us who are just putting words to paper without a prospective audience than there are people who reach acclaim through lofty awards and spots on bestseller lists. It would be great to have a career where your words and stories are elevated in such high regard, but it's also lonely at the top. At least here, in that murky stage between aspiring and professional, there are plenty of other people to commiserate with.

A few last words...

I know. Writing is hard. You may not always be happy writing, but it feels so good to have written. Whether you dislike the editing process or just the simple act of having to organize your ideas in a coherent fashion, just know you're not alone. There's a writer out there who has those same hang-ups. But does that mean that you can't succeed? Absolutely not. Again, writing is not magic; we just like to pretend it's somehow more mystical than it is.

The sooner you recognize that writing has far more elements that you can control than ones you cannot, the more at peace you'll feel with your writing and the processes you use. Learn from other writers. Be attentive. Understand that you need to do the work to get results. And, above all, be kind to yourself if you have days where you mess up. It's okay. We've all been there. What you need to keep in mind: no matter how bad the writing process may feel at times, it won't last forever. And your stories have a place in this world. It may just take some time to find them their proper homes.