Have you ever felt so stressed about writing that you couldn't write anything? 😖 That was me a month ago. I had set a goal, I had people encouraging me enthusiastically to get book #2 done, I had a successful draft completed just prior to then, and I choked. 😭 The story was there. It was in my head and heart and I wanted to write it. But I'd sit down to work on this polishing draft and all the pressure of getting everything right killed my ability to write. 😱
Being stymied like that is depressing. The last thing you want to do is go on social media because you'll see your writer friends noting their progress on their stories, you'll see other writers giving advice and encouragement, and you'll see a barrage of new novels making the rounds for people to see. 😊 Depressing. 😞
Well, I didn't go on social media. I've scaled back quite a bit from that scene, hoping to get more work done. I didn't want to fill up my time with useless attempts to get inspiration or recapture my writing mojo. And it turns out I didn't have to pull out my hair or beat up my computers either. 😡
I got sick. I became really really sick. 😝 (Please note, I didn't get sick on purpose, nor did my not being able to write make me sick.) I caught a horrible superbug that turned into bronchitis. I went down for a month. I was coughing a lot, I was constantly tired 😴, I had little appetite, I ached, I got feverish one moment and chills the next 😰, I couldn't hear out of one ear because there was so much fluid built up in it, and I certainly didn't have the brain power to write. 😳 So I let writing go. There are times when you have to let go of everything just to get better.
And you know what, getting sick did the trick. Now that I'm nearly better, I've relaxed and I'm writing again. It's fun once more. 😁 I'm not feeling pressured or stressed.
So what did I learn from this overall experience? Be patient with yourself. Take breaks, long ones even. And that you can destroy your story by forcing it and by second guessing every decision you make. 👿 When I write now, I'm not envisioning So-and-So who will critique the novel when it's done, or Fan A who has been hounding me for the sequel. It's just me and my story. And that's the key. 😲
So the next big question is: How's it coming?
It's coming. 😉 Right now I'm not worrying about what everyone else thinks, remember. Stay tuned for the next update post!
Being stymied like that is depressing. The last thing you want to do is go on social media because you'll see your writer friends noting their progress on their stories, you'll see other writers giving advice and encouragement, and you'll see a barrage of new novels making the rounds for people to see. 😊 Depressing. 😞
Well, I didn't go on social media. I've scaled back quite a bit from that scene, hoping to get more work done. I didn't want to fill up my time with useless attempts to get inspiration or recapture my writing mojo. And it turns out I didn't have to pull out my hair or beat up my computers either. 😡
I got sick. I became really really sick. 😝 (Please note, I didn't get sick on purpose, nor did my not being able to write make me sick.) I caught a horrible superbug that turned into bronchitis. I went down for a month. I was coughing a lot, I was constantly tired 😴, I had little appetite, I ached, I got feverish one moment and chills the next 😰, I couldn't hear out of one ear because there was so much fluid built up in it, and I certainly didn't have the brain power to write. 😳 So I let writing go. There are times when you have to let go of everything just to get better.
And you know what, getting sick did the trick. Now that I'm nearly better, I've relaxed and I'm writing again. It's fun once more. 😁 I'm not feeling pressured or stressed.
So what did I learn from this overall experience? Be patient with yourself. Take breaks, long ones even. And that you can destroy your story by forcing it and by second guessing every decision you make. 👿 When I write now, I'm not envisioning So-and-So who will critique the novel when it's done, or Fan A who has been hounding me for the sequel. It's just me and my story. And that's the key. 😲
So the next big question is: How's it coming?
It's coming. 😉 Right now I'm not worrying about what everyone else thinks, remember. Stay tuned for the next update post!
