Recently, I read a comment on twitter, followed the breadcrumbs to the gingerbread house...oh, wrong story.
I followed the URL to a blog that stated that "Fear stops most people from writing."
I fail to see how fear weighs that heavily upon continuing to write.
Discouragement due to a lack of desired results, hard work necessary to persevere, dedication required to continue writing regardless of what obstacles get in the way, and making unrealistic goals before learning what it is all about to complete a novel, publish it, and get right back to work on the next one, are what stops “most” writers.
Discouragement has to be one of the greatest fiery hoops that a writer must jump through to continue the race.
That is also why many writers like to converse over their desires rather than write their novels. They need encouragement from support groups, other writers, agents, editors, blogs, forums, and anyone else who will give them the time of day. Writing is one of the loneliest journeys ever. Many lonely hours are spent snuggling our fingers up to the keyboard, alone.
However, if we are honest with ourselves, we will write regardless. We will write what we want to write and learn by studying, reading, and practicing until we are the best we can be. No one can do it for us, and we need no one’s permission to write what we write. The reader is the most important part of a writer's life, not other writers. I don't write to please other writers. I write to move the readers.
Never have I been afraid to write. Query letters didn't fill me with fear and anguish, but the amount of time I spent perfecting that "first line that will break it or make it" of a query letter, I could have written five novels.
Don't get me wrong. Those query letters taught me plenty on the writing craft.
Laziness is another hurdle to some writers. Daydreaming about all those contracts, riches, and fame can cause a writer to hurry in writing, upload it to Lulu or CreateSpace, and then shout to everyone on Facebook, Twitter, family, etc until they run away screaming, stop following us on FB and Twitter, and roll their eyes at the mere word, "Book."
Distractions such as internet, family, work, and idle television watching are wet blankets to daily word count.
In order to write, a writer must have joy in writing. Once they find that "zone" and I am not talking about the infamous Muse. The "zone" I am talking about is where we are most comfortable in our writing. Answer the questions to yourself about why you write, what you expect of your writing, your readers, and why you fail. Learn to stop failing.
The only fear I may have had over the years, was losing my writings. I backed up my documents so that if something happened to my computer, I had a copy.
Now, I don't even fear that. I have a book in print and many more to follow it. If I lost every word in my computer today, I would just begin fresh tomorrow. I found that comfort zone in my writing. I believe it is called, "Confidence." Confidence comes from PRACTICE, lots of practice. It is not the opposite of fear. It is like any other learned trade or skill. Confidence comes from practice, learning, practice some more, and sticking to a set goal.
I followed the URL to a blog that stated that "Fear stops most people from writing."
I fail to see how fear weighs that heavily upon continuing to write.
Discouragement due to a lack of desired results, hard work necessary to persevere, dedication required to continue writing regardless of what obstacles get in the way, and making unrealistic goals before learning what it is all about to complete a novel, publish it, and get right back to work on the next one, are what stops “most” writers.
Discouragement has to be one of the greatest fiery hoops that a writer must jump through to continue the race.
That is also why many writers like to converse over their desires rather than write their novels. They need encouragement from support groups, other writers, agents, editors, blogs, forums, and anyone else who will give them the time of day. Writing is one of the loneliest journeys ever. Many lonely hours are spent snuggling our fingers up to the keyboard, alone.
However, if we are honest with ourselves, we will write regardless. We will write what we want to write and learn by studying, reading, and practicing until we are the best we can be. No one can do it for us, and we need no one’s permission to write what we write. The reader is the most important part of a writer's life, not other writers. I don't write to please other writers. I write to move the readers.
Never have I been afraid to write. Query letters didn't fill me with fear and anguish, but the amount of time I spent perfecting that "first line that will break it or make it" of a query letter, I could have written five novels.
Don't get me wrong. Those query letters taught me plenty on the writing craft.
Laziness is another hurdle to some writers. Daydreaming about all those contracts, riches, and fame can cause a writer to hurry in writing, upload it to Lulu or CreateSpace, and then shout to everyone on Facebook, Twitter, family, etc until they run away screaming, stop following us on FB and Twitter, and roll their eyes at the mere word, "Book."
Distractions such as internet, family, work, and idle television watching are wet blankets to daily word count.
In order to write, a writer must have joy in writing. Once they find that "zone" and I am not talking about the infamous Muse. The "zone" I am talking about is where we are most comfortable in our writing. Answer the questions to yourself about why you write, what you expect of your writing, your readers, and why you fail. Learn to stop failing.
The only fear I may have had over the years, was losing my writings. I backed up my documents so that if something happened to my computer, I had a copy.
Now, I don't even fear that. I have a book in print and many more to follow it. If I lost every word in my computer today, I would just begin fresh tomorrow. I found that comfort zone in my writing. I believe it is called, "Confidence." Confidence comes from PRACTICE, lots of practice. It is not the opposite of fear. It is like any other learned trade or skill. Confidence comes from practice, learning, practice some more, and sticking to a set goal.