I've loved writing for as long as I can remember. It's still kind of funny to me that most people don't write for fun in their free time. It's just part of who I am, but I know that us writers are becoming more and more of a rare species. Recently I've been having a whole lot of inspiration to write, but not a lot of motivation. Instead of writing, I've been pondering on the struggles of trying to write. Whether your real aspiration is to be an author or just write in your free time, anyone who loves to write can relate to these struggles.
1. Writer's block.
Probably the most obvious struggle and the most common and frustrating. You feel like writing, or you just NEED to write, but nothing is coming to mind. Nope. Nothing.
2. Forgetting what you were going to write about.
You have the greatest ideas at the most random times--in class, or the grocery store, or at a party--and as soon as you get home in front of your laptop, the idea has completely escaped you.
3. Not knowing how to start.
You have the whole plot for your story written out in your mind. You have the rising action, the plot twist, earth shattering climax, the clever conclusion...but unfortunately you can't get to any of it because you have no idea where to begin.
4. Not knowing how to stop.
This is my biggest problem for sure. I have way too many documents of stories that are 3/4 of the way finished because the story was going strong, it was flying from my mind to the page...and then I realized it was time for the story to end and I had no idea how to conclude. Just like in life, sometimes you spin your characters so deep into a situation, not even you know how to get them out.
5. Being a grammar Nazi.
You really don't mean to be, but sometimes it shocks you that others don't know where to put a comma or how to spell common words and you can't help but point it out. Likewise, when you make a typo in your own writing and can't fix it, it kills you a little on the inside.
6. Being insecure about what you wrote.
You wrote the story just because you felt inspired, and when it's all said and done you're pretty proud of it, but you don't know what to do next because you don't really want anyone to read it. You're your own worse critic, and your writing is always a little too cheesy, too long, too liberal, too personal, and you're just not sure you really want anyone to know you wrote it.
7. Sounding pretentious when you talk about your writing.
To you, writing is just a casual hobby, but saying it out loud makes you cringe. Calling yourself a 'writer' sounds so stuck up and saying "I wrote a book once" really sounds like bragging, when in reality you just kinda like to write; you're not trying to be better than anyone else.
8. You're constantly writing in your head.
Sometimes, I catch myself accidentally narrating what I'm doing in my head like my life is a boring first person YA novel. Other times I'll mentally jot down 10 different words to describe the color of a flower I see. Maybe that's just me.
9. You're the teacher's pet in English.
A lot of writers tend to be shy, so as nice as it is to have your English teachers typically like you, you also cringe when they want to read your essay to the class or casually try to convince you to switch majors, take their next class, or join the writing club.
10. Or even worse, your English teacher doesn't appreciate you.
You're used to English being an easy A, but writing is subjective. While one teacher may love your writing style, the next may hate it, and it really sucks when you have that one teacher who really doesn't like your work and gives you mediocre grades that you're not used to getting.
I hope you all have a happy holiday season, full of inspiration and free from writer's block!
