How to Be Happy as a Writer
This week, let's make ourselves a pact. I'll stop comparing myself to other writers - and so will you.
This week, let's make ourselves a pact. I'll stop comparing myself to other writers - and so will you.
Do you know this game? If you’re a writer, you do: It’s where you write a draft, but it’s not right, so you put it aside and try again. And again. If this describes you, congratulations! You’re a writer. And there's hope for your draft.
So I wrote today for the first time since my dad died. It was not, shall we say, a *good* experience.
This month is not about producing something publishable. It's about teaching yourself to just keep writing, to ignore the inner editor, and to let yourself just spill words onto the page.
Here's a lie I'll bet you've been told: "You have to figure out what you want to do before it's too late."
Fellow writer, this will not feel good to read, but it is VERY IMPORTANT.
Two of my favorite go-to videos when I'm feeling down about writing. Take a few minutes and watch. Your heart will thank you.
Bad Crap is happening. No matter where any of us fall on the political spectrum, we can see that. It's frightening. It hijacks imagination and energy, leaving only fear. So what's a creator to do?
Writer's block can be summed up in two ways: Being afraid to write because we think it sucks, and not knowing what to write next.
Writing is a strange thing, filled with emotional roller-coasters and storms and deserts. Who would ever put themselves willingly through this? Well, you (and me). Why? Because you have something to say. The only person who can tell your story is you.
It strikes me that today is a day for encouragement. May this post speed you on your way.
It's like some kind of old-timey riddle: name a thing we all wish we had, yet hate when we see it in other people? Yup, you guessed it: confidence.
Each time you get a "no," it can really feel like that was it - the end. You will get another chance. I'm going to share two really simple (though challenging) things that kept me going through all the "no's," until I finally had my "yes."
Lemme tell ya something: you are never going to make everyone happy.