For those of you that don't know me, I'm an aspiring novelist. I'm trying to get my name out there and start building up my reputation, which as you've probably heard before can be quite difficult. But this isn't about me, it's about you, whether you consider yourself a writer or not. For a moment we'll set aside the anxieties that come along with trying to get published, marketing your work, etc.
Starring at a blank page can be one of the most intimidating things. Trying to come up with a plot-twist filled story line, likable characters, believable setting, may not sound too bad at first, but when you realize that everything has to be organized and flowing so you're keeping the reader entertained and flipping the pages, it can be a bit overwhelming. Especially when you read books and it seems like some authors do it so easily. News flash, what you're reading is the end result of something that has been polished to perfection. Blood, sweat, tears, and probably a lot of self-loathing go into those books. Plus, thoughts like that get you nowhere.
I saw an interesting quote the other day. I forgot who it was by, but it went something like this, "Every writer in the history of the world has been afraid to put words on the page. We only remember those that dared to do so." This was pretty encouraging, especially since I have the phrase 'ars longa, vita brevis' stuck in my head. Now, my latin isn't the best but I believe it translates to "Art is long. Life is short." It came down to the thought of whether I wanted to be just remembered by my loved ones for as long as I lived, or did I want to be remembered not only by them but also by all my readers and those whose lives my books and writtings will have touched. Putting it that way makes it sound more selfish, the eternal human lust for immortality.
Seriously now, what do writers really do? I mean writing can't be that difficult, you're only arranging twenty-six letters in a trillion plus different combinations to elicit a specific response from a very large group of people that you have never met and probably never will. In all seriousness (for real this time), it's too easy to discouraged and fall out of writing. I know I have days when writing is the last thing I want to do, until I actually sit down and do it. If you're serious about being a dedicated writer or a career writer then you have to act like it is like any other job. Do it everyday, for at least fifteen minutes a day. Try to think about your story line and character development sometimes when you're not writing. "Ok where is (insert character) going/doing? Why? How? What is my next step? How does this contribute to my novel (or other work)."
Shout out to Jamie Raintree for inspiring me to write this article with her article "Overcoming the Emotional Obstacles to a Writing Career" at http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/06/overcoming-the-emotional-obstacles-to-a-writing-career/
