# Why I Quit Writing (and am Seeking Help to Un-Quit...)



## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

Hello all,

Some of you might know me as the plucky, wide-eyed "new guy" around these forums from a few months ago who tried his hand at writing, jumped head-long into it, then promptly quit and disappeared for 3 months.

During my time as an aspiring writer I was working with a publisher as part of a (fantastic) mentoring program to expedite my learning of the art of writing, and upon quitting I sent her the following letter:



> Honestly, I got to a point last month where I really struggled to write, so I thought I would take a break for a week or so, and haven't been able to bring myself back to it.
> 
> I think all-in-all, I'm left feeling like I'm just not built to be a writer. I am a man of very few marketable talents, but the one that has proven most valuable in my career is my ability to accurately anticipate pitfalls and (for the most part) successfully avoid them.
> 
> ...



Has anyone ever felt this way? How do you overcome it?

The funny thing is that I WANT TO WRITE, and I don't think I suffer from "writer's block" (in the traditional sense, I suppose), but I just...can't.

Thanks for your feedback.

Dan


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## Androxine Vortex (Apr 29, 2013)

I struggle with this too. I am constantly disappointed in everything that I write because I strive for my work to be excellent. My biggest misunderstanding about writing was that it was easy or that I was already a good writer before I started "actually" writing. I believe I could have an entire novel made with the amount of words I have deleted in making my first chapter. And it doesn't help that I am incredibly slow.

But despite that I have learned this: Hardly anything you do in life will be perfect because we are imperfect creatures. Striving for perfection is a vain goal. Don't get me wrong, striving for perfection is good, but seeking it as an outcome is foolish.

Too many times I find myself looking for the "magic sentence" to add and no matter what I write/type, it never holds up to my expectations. What I do to counter this is I pick up a book by an author I really like, and go through and find everything about their writing that I don't like. This way, I show myself that even my favorite authors aren't perfect and that they too have weaknesses and flaws.

I don't think I suffer from WB that much either, usually I have so many ideas I can't choose what to do lol. But I do suffer from chronic everything-I-just-typed-is-complete-trash-and-I-am-a-horrible-writer. It's just an obstacle I know I have to overcome. I just have to keep on pushing and realize that this is just going to be an uphill battle, but oh well. Life is an uphill battle. I would rather try and fail then fail to try.


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## TheokinsJ (Apr 29, 2013)

I often feel a similar way, I feel like I lack the motivation and the persistence to write, probably due to laziness more than anything else. I found I stopped writing for a while, I wanted to write, it's just getting into it was the hard part, and once I got going, I loved it. You say you "just... can't", do you mean you lack motivation? Or do you question your abilities as a writer? I believe that everyone has their moment where they feel like "what's the point!?" and they don't want to write anymore, but if you love it and you want to keep at it, keep doing it. Even if the books you write will never be published, even if the things you write are just random scenes or short stories or poetry- keep at it, because I believe every day you write and immerse yourself within your imagination, you begin to discover more about yourself, and it can offer a different view on life.


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## Androxine Vortex (Apr 29, 2013)

I forget who it is on here but in their signature it's a quote that basically says don't be afraid to do something because of the time it would take. The time is going to pass anyway.

I love that quote


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## Chilari (Apr 29, 2013)

Everyone who has ever worked towards something has at some point had doubts about their abilities. Some of them gave up, or refocused their efforts elsewhere; some fought through it, and succeeded in what they attempted. For some achieving that goal came with success in other secondary goals too - like fame and fortune - and for others it did not.

What it sounds like you need to work out is whether you care enough about writing and what you want to achieve with it to push through the doubts.

I frequently feel similarly. I look at what I've written and I see so many flaws; when I show what I've written to my fiance he sees even more. And that is discouraging. It makes me wonder if I will ever produce anything worthwhile. But the fact is, what I'm looking at isn't published. It's a first draft, my initial thoughts and feelings about what the scene in question is, and often it's rushed or bogged down with unimportant information, or whatever. I tell myself I can fix it in the rewrites and the edits, but even so, seeing all the things I need to fix is often overwhelming, and I feel I have to start again from scratch and fix it now before I can continue, because I can't be happy with what's there.

I don't have an answer because I am yet to overcome it, but I think the way i'm going to approach it is to not look back. I will write, and not read what I've written (except the last paragraph I wrote when I start each session). That way I am unaware of the vast majoirty of the flaws and can thus hapily ignore them. When the first draft is done, I can type it up and turn it into a second draft in which I have fixed some of those problems, before looking for more problems to fix.

Perhaps you (and I) need to get used to the idea that what comes from our brains is not immediately awesome, we need to go back and make it better, incrementally, until we can't make it any better any more. Our inability to produce instantly awesome writing isn't a failing, it is natural, normal - and it doesn't really matter, because what we write we can return to later, we can fix it in the next draft.

Good luck.


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## Jabrosky (Apr 29, 2013)

Like the OP, I have experienced moments when I questioned whether I was really cut out to be a writer. What's kept me in the business is that I've always possessed a creative streak, as in a desire to create things, and writing is one way I can express those creative impulses. I like to think of writing as an art in the same respect as drawing or painting. As long as I feel the drive to create any kind of art, I can write.


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## Twook00 (Apr 29, 2013)

Androxine Vortex said:


> My biggest misunderstanding about writing was that... I was already a good writer before I started "actually" writing.



Yep, same for me.  I thought I just needed to sit down and write the big idea I had and all would fine.  Then I realized how awful I was.  That was about 5 years ago and I've YET to finish a story (short or otherwise).  I haven't given up though.  I realize that I have grown over the years as a writer, and I see that progress has been made.  If it takes another five years to get published, then that's alright by me.  I'll be patient.

I just tell myself to keep at it.  Really, you get better if you keep at it.  It takes time, but the journey is half the fun.

Lastly, part of my problem is that I am a terrible procrastinator.  I work, I have kids, I only have time to write at night and by then I'm too tired.  These are all excuses, of course, and I know that.  If I would just sit my rear in a chair and finish something, I'd probably be selling my work by now.


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## Feo Takahari (Apr 29, 2013)

Your initial post shows more understanding of basic rhetorical techniques than some of the members of my writing group, and that at least gives me confidence in your potential.


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## Twook00 (Apr 29, 2013)

Feo Takahari said:


> Your initial post shows more understanding of basic rhetorical techniques than some of the members of my writing group, and that at least gives me confidence in your potential.



I thought the same thing.


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## TWErvin2 (Apr 29, 2013)

One ultimately has to believe in his or her ability to relay a good story to the reader. Others can encourage, but it comes down to the writer being willing to put in the time and do what it takes to create the opportunity for success. Because, in the end, there is no promise or guarantee of success, however one might want to measure that.

There is no 'one right way' to write a novel, or a short story, other than one has to get to the end--complete the process and make the work the best the writer can.

Life is full of opportunities, and writing takes up time and effort. One has to give up some opportunities, and make writing a priority. Not necessarily the top priority, but it can't hover at the bottom.

Only you, Dan, can determine if that drive and commitment are there--or might be some day. Writing can be fun, and there can be moments of excitement and achievement, but it's also work and sometimes toil, and sometimes setbacks.

Maybe today isn't the moment. Maybe next week will be. Maybe it'll never come, although I hope it does for you, where you find the inspiration and the drive and the focus to develop the necessary skills and techniques to reach your writing objectives. It's like a long distance runner. Others can cheer for you, but in the end, you're the only one that can enter, and endure, and finish the race.


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## BWFoster78 (Apr 29, 2013)

Writing is tough.

I just looked at the 3rd draft of my novel.  When I put it away almost 8 weeks ago, I thought it was pretty good.  Reading it this weekend, my thought was, "This absolutely sucks."

It takes a lot of freaking work to get it right.

For me, that moment when I finally put something to bed and I'm happy with it makes all that I put into it worth it.  It took me a long time to get to that point even for a 14000 word novelette, though.  I spent 10 years reading about writing and another two doing a lot of practicing, getting feedback, and rewriting.

The bottom line, Dan, is that only you can motivate you.  If it's worth it to you, you'll keep chugging along.  If not, you'll put it aside for another hobby.

Either option is fine, and, truthfully, it's not a decision you have to make now.  If you're not driven to do it, you can wait until you are.


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## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

Jabrosky said:


> Like the OP, I have experienced moments when I questioned whether I was really cut out to be a writer. What's kept me in the business is that I've always possessed a creative streak, as in a desire to create things, and writing is one way I can express those creative impulses. I like to think of writing as an art in the same respect as drawing or painting. As long as I feel the drive to create any kind of art, I can write.



Jabrosky,

I think you've brought up and interesting point in regards to my motivation to write.

If I were to be brutally honest with myself, I would say that my motivation to write lies in my somewhat narcissistic desire to create something that people will enjoy, and maybe I struggle to reach the level of motivation required to overpower my "perfection neuroses" because the payoff doesn't take place until long after the work is complete, and even then there is no guarantee that people will actually enjoy it.

So then the question is: if I become a better writer, will a larger audience see and enjoy my work, and in turn help motivate me to write?

I don't know, it seems like quite the chicken-and-egg conundrum.


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## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

TWErvin2 said:


> Maybe today isn't the moment. Maybe next week will be. Maybe it'll never come, although I hope it does for you, where you find the inspiration and the drive and the focus to develop the necessary skills and techniques to reach your writing objectives. It's like a long distance runner. Others can cheer for you, but in the end, you're the only one that can enter, and endure, and finish the race.



TWErvin2,

I think you make a lot of terrific points in your reply, but the underlined portion stood out to me in a slightly different context.

When I joined the Marine Corps in 1995, I remember the first time I ran a mile in boot camp, I came in at about the 12 minute mark. When I learned that to max out my physical fitness test, I was going to need to run 3 miles in 18 minutes, a little simple math led me to the discouraging conclusion that there was absolutely no way I was going to make it in the USMC.

Fast forward a year later, after getting up every morning to run and work out, and working through the pain (and in some cases, laziness), I ran 3 miles in 18 minutes 23 seconds, which, while not quote max, was something I never thought I would ever be able to accomplish, and certainly nothing I would have accomplished had I not placed an almost daily focus on improving myself.

Writing seems a lot like running, just more painful.


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## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for taking some time to provide such sincere feedback and perspective.

Overall, I guess it serves as a clear reminder that I'm not alone in my struggling to create something that not only is "good", but that I will be proud of, and that other people will enjoy.


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## FatCat (Apr 29, 2013)

I definitely understand where you're coming from, Dan. I'm currently in a bit of a slump right now, and it seems like everytime I sit down in front of the keyboard all I can think is "this is stupid, this won't work, ect.". So lately I've just been writing scenes that I think would be really fun, like some kind of battle or a cool little segment of conversation or something, but instead of trying to make it fantastic, I tell myself before I even begin that I'm going to delete it. It takes away some of the pressure of forcing yourself to write something amazing, and instead just writing because, well, it can be fun. It's been working for me. 

Anyway, good luck, and don't give up. I liked your entries in showcase, and it would be a shame if you didn't develop it further.


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## teacup (Apr 29, 2013)

I've never felt this, but I could say is that if you enjoy writing, just write. 
I loved writing my first draft, and now I'm rewriting parts and it's getting tedious. So I started another story for fun, just so that I still have fun writing rather than 100% of it feeling like a chore. 
I'd say to, if you have ideas, come back to it sometime and try again. If you enjoy it then great, if you don't then I wouldn't do it. But that's just me, I write mostly for enjoyment.


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## Ayaka Di'rutia (Apr 29, 2013)

Have you explored different genres?  It may be you haven't found the right kind of genre to write in, especially if you still have an urge to write.  Have you tried writing non-fiction, poetry, haikus, etc.?


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## Chessie (Apr 29, 2013)

Dan, how do you write your stories? Do you pants them? Do you plan them? I went through several months this past winter where writing just didn't happen for me. I was bitter about it...until I came across some information by several authors on how to create plots, settings, characters, etc for stories BEFORE writing anything down. Not outlining (boring) but more brainstorming and asking "what" shaped questions. This has helped me immensely. Now, I am writing every day even if it is only a 15 min fast write on days I'm pressed for time. The ideas are endless and I am more confident about my work. 

If you want to write and are having a hard time doing so, then maybe its time to look at a different approach to your work. Writing should be freeing and exciting, you can have the experience that you want with this. Also, writer's block isn't necessarily a bad thing. Its a good tool for gauging where you are in the process of writing your story. I recently read that writer's block happens when something isn't happening right or flowing. Its helpful to pull back, breathe, don't curse yourself out for not writing, and think about what could be causing the hiccup. You are an artist, a creator of beautiful worlds and stories. Most definitely this will pass and you will write freely again. If you want any information on what I came across, I can PM you since I don't know if we can post outside links on here.


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## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

Chesterama said:


> Dan, how do you write your stories? Do you pants them? Do you plan them? I went through several months this past winter where writing just didn't happen for me. I was bitter about it...until I came across some information by several authors on how to create plots, settings, characters, etc for stories BEFORE writing anything down. Not outlining (boring) but more brainstorming and asking "what" shaped questions. This has helped me immensely. Now, I am writing every day even if it is only a 15 min fast write on days I'm pressed for time. The ideas are endless and I am more confident about my work.
> 
> If you want to write and are having a hard time doing so, then maybe its time to look at a different approach to your work. Writing should be freeing and exciting, you can have the experience that you want with this. Also, writer's block isn't necessarily a bad thing. Its a good tool for gauging where you are in the process of writing your story. I recently read that writer's block happens when something isn't happening right or flowing. Its helpful to pull back, breathe, don't curse yourself out for not writing, and think about what could be causing the hiccup. You are an artist, a creator of beautiful worlds and stories. Most definitely this will pass and you will write freely again. If you want any information on what I came across, I can PM you since I don't know if we can post outside links on here.



To be quite honest, yes, my writing process is a bit broken and I've actually been putting a great deal of thought about how to fix it.

The problem I have is that I conjure up some terrific, vivid scenes in my head which I want to write (like a battle, perhaps), but then have to find a context for it, and create some before and after, and this leads to the story gets stuck. It's fun to write an awesome scene, it's not so fun to have to "bondo buggy" the scenes together to complete a whole story.

This is solid feedback, thank you.

And yes, if you want to PM me the info, I would love to check it out.


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## danr62 (Apr 29, 2013)

Jeff Goins says that writer's block comes from two places. It's either fear, or you're empty and need to fill up. My guess from your post is that what you're facing now is fear. You're afraid your writing isn't good enough. It won't measure up. No one will like it. You're afraid that you will have to put in a lot of time to get better, and the payoff won't be worth it. You're afraid that even if you put in the time, the payoff will never come. Am I right?

In the Marines, you faced fear. Fear that you would never run fast enough. Fear of this obstacle course. Fear of crawling across the ground at night with LIVE AMMO flying over your freaking head! You faced these fears and you beat them. Sure, you had DI's to make sure you did it, but it's not like they literally forced you to do anything. You could have said no. Walked away. Something drove you to push through and get past boot camp.

You ran a mile in 12 minutes at first. That's a terribly slow pace, by military standards. But you improved. You got faster. Your muscles developed and your endurance improved. 

Treat writing the same. At first you won't be able to meet the standards. But if you keep working on it you will get there.


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## Xaysai (Apr 29, 2013)

Ayaka Di'rutia said:


> Have you explored different genres?  It may be you haven't found the right kind of genre to write in, especially if you still have an urge to write.  Have you tried writing non-fiction, poetry, haikus, etc.?



This is an amazing question!

One frustration I have is that I can write non-fiction very well, especially in the areas of Management, Leadership and Relationship Building (I write articles for 2 Sales Force Effectiveness Newsletters for a $67B company), but I enjoy reading Fantasy a great deal more, which is why I want to write it.

If anyone has any ideas on how to parlay my non-fiction success writing into Fantasy writing success, I am all ears.


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## Filk (Apr 29, 2013)

At one point, I started writing 1,000 words a day of stream of consciousness stuff. I got it down to about 15 minutes a day. I refused to allow myself to edit any of it and it was all garbage, but it helped me get back into writing. I did this every day for four months and I believe it cured my internal editor. I found that after a long lapse in writing, I could write again every day. I am not overly proud of some of the stuff that I have written, but it's there and I feel like I get better every day.

In terms of learning the rules of writing, get a good style manual (or three) and consult it/them as you write. Every time you have a question about your writing (or something that you read), look it up. Leave sticky notes or index cards in sections of the style manuals that you struggle with.


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## Penpilot (Apr 29, 2013)

Androxine Vortex said:


> I forget who it is on here but in their signature it's a quote that basically says don't be afraid to do something because of the time it would take. The time is going to pass anyway.
> 
> I love that quote



I believe that may be me. See quote below. 

As for Dan. I'll echo a few of the things said above. Writing is hard. It takes time, lots of time, to get better ate it. It's up to you to decide if you're willing to spend that time on something that you may never be able to make any money on, let alone make a living at. Write or don't. Neither is right or wrong. What matters is what's right for you.

With that said, Maybe part of the reason maybe you're having trouble is information overload. I've read a lot of writing books and most of them have been very helpful, but one of the things that got me scared was there was just sooooo much information to take in and process. I had to worry about this that and the other thing while making sure I was hopping on one foot, but only on Tuesdays, and if it was a leap year, I had to rub my tummy, and etc. 

How I got through it was I pressed on and tried to apply all that I learned as best as I could, and I came up with a 270k book that was a 3yr disaster. But in writing that book, I learned a lot and applied what I learned into my next. I also took all the theory I learned, and just for fun, used it to break down on the fly  the story and plot for TV shows, Movies, and books that I was watching and reading.

Just analysing how other writers were applying theory, gets me thinking about how I'm applying it, and it gives me something professional to compare my writing to. It gets me thinking on how I can make my stories better, using the tools I've learned about.

Since quotes were mentioned above. Here are a few others that spark me.

I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.  - Roger Ebert

"If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters -- then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today." - Joss Whedon


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## skip.knox (Apr 29, 2013)

You've had some good advice here and maybe it's presumptuous of me to add to it, but I'll presume anyway.

First, what makes you think you're not cut out to write? Because you struggle? Welcome to the club. Have you written something -- even if it's a disconnected scene -- and had others tell you it's awful?  Have you done this eleventyhundred times? If not, you haven't tried enough times to declare yourself a failure at writing. It sounds like you have written a bit here and a bit there and are dissatisfied -- maybe even appalled -- by what you read.  But you don't really say.

So, for one thing, write down why you stopped. All we got from that letter was that you struggled.

I saw in another one of your posts that you said you couldn't write gobbledygook. That's okay, but have you tried some of the writing exercises to be found on this and other forums? That keeps it from being gobbledygook but is something you can regard as a throw-away. Write as if no one is watching, to paraphrase. For myself, I have trouble with such exercises, but if I were stuck, that's one of the first places I would go.

Finally, you said you can write other stuff well. You may be surprised (or may not) to learn that there's a good deal of writing that goes on that never sees the light of day. It's called backstory. Character sketches, descriptions of creatures, landscapes, cities, and so on. Write all that. The descriptive stuff translates readily into scene setting. With character sketches, a common approach is to write scenes from childhood, or other scenes that take place before your story. These can develop quickly into dialog. Even if you don't use the material directly, it's a way to get practice writing dialog. In fact, some writing coaches suggest writing an interview with your character, in dialog form.  All of these techniques, I should think, have their parallels in the writing in which you are already practiced.

And take heart. I wrote in fragments for years before I was finally able to get a story out. My writing habits are still very fragmentary -- I find it impossible to start and the beginning and stop and the end. Hell, I have trouble even *recognizing* them! 

But I keep writing because I can't seem to stop. If I do stop, I get anxious and fretful. Eventually I realized I had this reaction because I'm a writer. That was a big step because then I had to ask myself what sort of writer I wanted to be. First, I wanted to be the kind of writer who could actually finish a story!  Now my goal is to finish a long story -- a novel. Then my goal is to be a published writer. Then my goal is to be a published writer who makes more money in a year than he has invested in writing (yes, getting published costs money; *sigh*). I suppose I could cash my chips in at any of those points, declare victory and go home. But I have the uncomfortable feeling that writing is an itch that will never go away. I wish I were one of those people who "just love to write" but that's never been me. For me, it's desperately difficult and hard on the ego. I love to play music; I do not get a similar enjoyment from writing. I love my dog; she always makes me feel better. I hate my novel; it always makes me feel worse.

The only thing worse than writing, for me, is not writing.


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## Philip Overby (Apr 29, 2013)

Quitting things that are hard is easy.  Here's a list of things I've quit over the years:

1. Karate
2. Soccer
3. Studying Japanese
4. Smoking
5. Aerobics

What's not on this list is writing. Because no matter what, I've stuck with it. 

No writer can wave a magical wand and automatically make their first drafts better. It doesn't work that way. It takes hard work. Writing is hard. That's why it's tempting to quit it. But if you really want to do something, you won't quit it. You'll persist, slam your head against the wall, and keep tapping at the keys. You don't have any other choice. 

If your main problem is that you can't stand writing a bad first draft, then do more planning. Do pre-writing before you write and have ideas of exactly what you want to write. Your first drafts may get better and then you'll spend less time thinking what you wrote is crap and more time wanting to continue writing.

Another option: change your genre. Maybe what you're currently writing just isn't clicking with you. Try something else. See where that takes you. Fantasy writing in particular is probably (with the exception of hard sci-fi) one of the hardest genres to write. You have to create everything in some cases. That can feel quite overwhelming. Take away some of the pressure. Write something easy. Something fun.

If writing is really a chore for you, then yeah, maybe it's best if you quit. But if it's something you love and really, really want to do, you won't quit. You'll persist like the rest of us and keep on writing. 

Plus you posting this thread insists that you don't really want to quit. So don't.


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## ThinkerX (Apr 29, 2013)

I remember reading some of the material the OP put up in 'Showcase'.  I thought it was fairly good, especially for initial drafts.

So...

Maybe the OP's works are not as bad as he thinks they are.

A few times in the past few months, I became a bit burned out on the endless editing and minor revising for my 'big' stories.  So, I went and took a peak at some of my older stuff, stories I'd written years ago and nearly forgotten.  I did spot some problems, but overall, my reaction was 'Wow! This ain't half bad.'

I'd sent a couple of those older pieces to a buddy of mine way back when.  For a number of reasons (changing jobs, moving, computer issues) he didn't get to them then, but he did find them this winter while going through his archived files.  He called me out of the blue a couple of months ago and said 'I really like this stuff.  I want more.'

If you can get that kind of reaction out of people, then you know you are doing something right, grammar problems or not.  We've had multiple threads here about best selling authors whose writing is...subpar at best.  Yet their works sold because their stories were gripping.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Apr 30, 2013)

Comparing yourself to other authors can be a bad thing for your progress. When your emulating favorites or trying to learn techniques from their prose, it's a good thing. When your looking at another's work and saying "My work will never be brilliant like that" OR the converse "I can do much better"...it can be a harmful approach to writing.

First off, when comparing yourself to those who you might not consider very good, you're diminishing the amount of work & effort it took to produce that story. You might not think its the best thing since sliced bread but its still a lot if work. Then, as you churn away at your own you may become discouraged at your own efforts, especially if they don't yet measure up to works you consider inferior. They can be discouraging.

Secondly, those writers that you think are brilliant & natural geniuses? ...most aren't. They are however, hard workers. It might have taken them 5 years to crank out the story you believe to be so splendid. Then as you plow through the weeds of your own, you might think "I'll never be able to write like <insert name>! Yes... You can. If you want to work as hard and as long as they did. That's up to you but there's no easy road.


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## wordwalker (Apr 30, 2013)

Xaysai said:


> If I were to be brutally honest with myself, I would say that my motivation to write lies in my somewhat narcissistic desire to create something that people will enjoy, and maybe I struggle to reach the level of motivation required to overpower my "perfection neuroses" because the payoff doesn't take place until long after the work is complete, and even then there is no guarantee that people will actually enjoy it.
> 
> So then the question is: if I become a better writer, will a larger audience see and enjoy my work, and in turn help motivate me to write?
> 
> I don't know, it seems like quite the chicken-and-egg conundrum.



It's not chicken-egg, it's a self-reinforcing cycle. If you get it moving.

It seems to me what you want is to get a better handle on what kind of fun you want to give your readers, maybe working on one or two things at a time-- suspense, description, inspiration, humor, something. Even with small, one-purpose stories you can sharpen your sense of what matters, and have the satisfaction of getting tales _done_ and in front of the audience you want. Each story may not be perfect, but it's developing one thing and you know the next one will then do that thing better or combine it with something else. Progress.


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## Caged Maiden (Apr 30, 2013)

There's a pretty universal recipe to get readers to like your stories.  It sounds stupid, but:

1.  Engaging characters
2.  Plausible plot with enough action to keep them turning the pages
3.  A writing technique that is easy to read, clever, insightful, and contains a voice that the reader can connect with.  

Of course, there's many ways to break it down, but the basics are what they are.  If you had to pick a way your manuscript is weak, what is it?  Where do you feel it falls down?  If you can pinpoint the places you're weakest, what things can you do to overcome it?  I almost never get down on myself if my first drafts are crap.  Once you get a draft finished, editing is the real work.  As long as you go into it knowing it, it isn't so awful.  

I'm not very proud of most of my first drafts.  But, I've written several things I'm really proud of.  SO I have to take those as my victories and admit defeat where I was beaten by my own lacking skills or creativity.  No story is perfect, but it's important to strive for the simple goals, like good strong characters and an engaging plot.  I think for me, the single most devastating story-killer is a weak voice.  I can take a lot of imperfections in characters, even implausible plots if it's written well.  But if the writing is poor, meandering, or written with funky POV issues, a boring voice, or without feeling alive... I have to feel it's a miss.

Hope you find a way to figure out which road is best for you.


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## The Unseemly (Apr 30, 2013)

I write because I can, I write because its fun, I write because I write. Its a matter of believing. You truly believe you can do it,  then hell, you will. You are sundered by doubt, then you will never do it. Simply believe, don't worry, get on with your life, enjoy and only doubt doubt. Humans have the amazing ability to _believe_, one of their best and worst functions.

And, really, I mean, why so serious? I've made a mess of my brain already, and I don't feel like cleaning it up.


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## PaulineMRoss (Apr 30, 2013)

Xaysai said:


> I think all-in-all, I'm left feeling like I'm just not built to be a writer.



And yet, when I check out your blog, the very first thing I see is a wonderful piece of writing (Ill Omens). Is it perfect? No. But boy, is it compelling.


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## advait98 (Apr 30, 2013)

The question is, why do you feel like you can't write anything but gobbledygook? I, for one, know that I do write hogwash, because I am just not experienced enough, and haven't been writing too long. But you... I've seen your works, at least some of them, and I thought they were really good.

Nobody in the writing business stops learning, and if you believe that you write gobbledygook, and won't get better, I ask you, how will you get better? I'm experiencing a mild form of what you're feeling right now, and I haven't picked up the pen for two weeks now. It's probably an aftereffect of laziness more than anything, and an overly philosophical look on life sometimes (which is a terrible way to look at life sometimes), and I know that when I finally pick that pen up, I'll have to try my best to not to let go. And that's my aim.

Writing is hard work, it's like life, and when you go past those few pages of enjoyment and intrigue, you find it continuously harder to keep going on, until finally you stop at a crossroads- whether you want to keep going on, or you want to give up. It's your choice. 

Your self-confidence has plummeted, that much is apparent, and it's up to you to drag it back up again. Only you can help yourself, the world's full of obstacles, and self-doubt's one of them. Only you can help yourself. And how to start? Writing. Don't even worry about the edit/revision part. Just write. And look at what you produce with a new eye. And then again, philosophy has its bright points sometimes. 

Nobody's built to be a writer. But everyone's built to be human. We all have that irrepressible urge to create something attractive that others will like, no matter how much we deny it. All that matters is how we go about it. 

Life is comparable to writing, and life is a hard ride, I can see that afar even in these few years of mine, and it ultimately always comes back to you and how you cope with it. A beautiful speech by Rocky Balboa comes to mind. Inspiration: Rocky's speech 

A nice kick up the keester, as they said. Best of luck.


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## Xaysai (Apr 30, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> And yet, when I check out your blog, the very first thing I see is a wonderful piece of writing (Ill Omens). Is it perfect? No. But boy, is it compelling.



Thank you, Pauline, that's very kind of you to say.


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## Xaysai (Apr 30, 2013)

I just want to thank you all again for the amazing replies.

I took out 3-4 of my WIP's yesterday and started brainstorming some ideas, so hopefully today I can get some words in.

I've "Thanked" as many people through the forum reputation mechanic that is allowed within a 24 hour period, so I will get the rest of you that I missed as soon as it lets me.


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## Rob P (Apr 30, 2013)

I've gone thru this whole thread and many of your misgivings, feelings and emotions have at one time if not a multitude of times been something we have all endured.

I see in everyone's words, their passion for this hard and complex task upon our time, liberty and sanity. At its root is a desire, a need and a hunger to write, whether just for the love of writing for its own pleasure or for the pleasure we hope to share with others.

We feel the constant finger pointing of our demon legions spouting self-doubt at ever opportunity. We sit in the shadow of rules and expectations given too much influence by our own hand over our creative outpouring. We seek and fear assessment and critique with equal measure as though it's a measure of our very being.

When times hit the tough stuff we must remember why.

Stories are dreams and we have the power to weave those dreams for ourselves and others.


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## Chessie (Apr 30, 2013)

This is a beautiful thread. The support you've received, Xaysai, is all so heartfelt. A common thing I've read here is that your work is good. We are our own worst critics for no proper reason at all. Maybe just go back the the basics for now and ask yourself why do you love to write? What is it about this storytelling ability that rocks your boat? 

As writers, we are also entertainers. It seems to matter equally to us that the readers are entertained as well as our own desire to tell a story is fulfilled. The balance will come to you. Take a breather to read other works you enjoy, maybe take a walk in nature while marinating on some ideas, take it easy! Love yourself through this and appreciate the contrast for what it is: a sign that you're wanting more from all this. You can achieve that.


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## Rinzei (Apr 30, 2013)

I can definitely sympathise with this. I used to write a lot - perhaps it wasn't great writing (my re-reads make my cringe!), but I was passionate and enthusiastic about it. It all just came out in a wonderful burst of creation. And I absolutely loved it.

When I went off to university, EVERYTHING went on hold - my world revolved around doing homework and keeping my GPA high so I could keep my scholarship. I didn't write anything at all really for those four years.

Now on the other side of uni, I yearn for that feeling again. But it's been tough. I've found that things aren't coming as easily as they once did and I struggle to find my footing. It's only in the last month (over 2 years after I finished uni) that I've been able to do any plot working, but there is still little writing taking place.

In the end, I can try and point the blame at many things being in the way - stress at work, a sometimes apathetic regard from loved ones that acts as little encouragement, lack of communication with other writers (hello, forum!) - but in the end, those aren't really things I can control. So if I want to write again, I need to push past those things and just keep trying. Because that feeling I used to have was one-in-a-million. If I have to fight to get it back, then that's what I'm going to do.


You're definitely not alone, Xaysai. I wish you luck with your WIP and hope you can find what you're looking for. If not - well, here we all are if you need us.


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## skip.knox (May 1, 2013)

>We are our own worst critics for no proper reason at all.

Chesterama makes a good point here. If I think my writing sucks, if I am truly not a very good writer, then I'm the *worst* person to judge the quality of my writing, since obviously I don't have good taste!  

Someone further up the thread warned against comparing ourselves to published writers. I agree and would add that if we were going to compare, then we would have to compare *our* first draft with *their* first draft. What we read is *their* finished product. They had editors. The comparison is intrinsically unfair.


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