Tell Me About YOUR Experiences...

[Sayer]

I'm trying to get a crystal-clear insight into the lives of other writers, to discover what challenges we share, which are individual and which are universal...

I would enormously appreciate it if you were to provide your opinions/ experiences on the below

1. What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
   
   
2. What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
   
   
3. Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
   
   
4. What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
   
   
5. What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

I'm super curious to see if our experiences align or differ. Looking forward to reading your answers guys!

 

[writeshiek33]

ok i have lot of challenges as a writer i have chemical imbalance the brain which causes symptoms of dyslexia plus i have bit of ahdd when i initially write there lots of mistakes though i cant see them, but instinct and my history tells me so. i have hard time getting info to paper or down. i have way too many ideas and on top of that not much time write. i need constant help to edit my works though i cant afford any editors. fustrating thing i have a very image related imagination. i cant plot. i need to create characters and from there build up fro there.

 

[Firefly]

1. The literal act of writing. The easiest way for me to make sure the writing gets done is just to prioritize it over sleep, so a lot of nights I end up going to bed way later than I should. And then that gets my mind racing with ideas which makes it hard to fall asleep even after I'm done writing for the day. Not sure if that's the answer you were looking for, but it's true

2. The biggest fear is that I will never be able to finish a novel-length project. I've completed a bunch of short stories and even a one-act play once, but the furthest I've ever gotten into a novel is 50,000 words and that story was a disastrous mess and collapsing under its own size by the time I finally abandoned it/took a break. It freaks me out a little every time I see someone with similar problems receiving the advice that maybe they'd be better off just sticking to short fiction or poetry, because my one true love is novels and it's all I've ever wanted to do.

3. I get angry at my own lack of progress. And then there are those horrible days where I get in a mood and just really hate everything about my current story as well as every story I have ever written.

4.

-My inability to come up with ideas and solutions on command with brute brainstorming. I'm impatient, and I hate waiting for things to percolate. I envy the people who can just sit down and decide on all their major plot points and have an outline in 3 days.
-The difficulty of holding an entire story in my head at once
-When I can't make myself like my own characters.
-Translating things from my head to the page.
-My own general lack of skill. Trips me up all the time.

Okay, that was more than three. And I could come up with a lot more, but I'll move on now.

5. To be amazing at it and have a huge audience of people who love my stuff so much that they write fan fiction about it and pay me a million dollars

Really, I think what I want is to be able to take one of my ideas and turn it into a book that I genuinely love and that would be my new favorite if I picked it up in the library of a bookstore. And to be able to consistently write like that and understand how I'm doing it. I know what it's like to create something you're really proud of, something you're awed by so much you can't stop looking at it, and I can imagine few things cooler than to write something I felt that way about. Especially right now when I'm in the earlier phases of learning and I feel like I'm just murdering every idea I pick up on the sacrificial alter of Getting Better at craft because they're all so terrible.

 

[Devor]

1. What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?

Keeps me up at night....? I know that's supposed to be a question about worry and stress, but what literally keeps me up at night is a new exciting idea popping into my head at midnight.

2. What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?

I'm afraid I won't finish. That my story will go untold. That it's all for nothing because I'm getting in over my head.

3. Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?

Angry? Nothing in particular. Or I guess the kids a bit when they keep interrupting me.

4. What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?

Interruptions. Distractions. Also, the character-building "filler" moments can be hard for me sometimes.

5. What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

A private room that can only access the web for music.

 

[ThinkerX]

What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?

plot points, new ideas

What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?

blatantly obvious grammar bugs that make it through the rewrites and edits. online editing programs don't help all that much.

Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?

Angry? Not so much. Occasional annoyance at grammar bugs and Beta Readers not getting back to me.

What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?

energy, ideas I have to put on the back burner, plot points

What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

to become a best selling author, or at least make enough to ditch the day job.

 

[skip.knox]

>A private room that can only access the web for music.
That's such an obvious app! I can't believe no one has thought of it. If anyone here can code, you really ought to give consideration to this:

An app that lets me connect to the Internet, but only to a music source, as specified by the user. Add a timer.

 

[Penpilot]

What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?

Now, not much. During that time between lying down and falling asleep, I usually think about problems that may need to be solved or where I want to take stories. If I get a eureka moment or get on a roll, I jot things down and go to sleep. Other times, I just fall a sleep and wake up with the solution or at least part of it.

What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?

Not pushing myself enough in terms of getting my stuff out there. Writing is the easy part for me. Submitting and/or looking into self pub, that's were I struggle. I don't think it's the fear of rejection. Been there done that. Got the t-shirt. It's just a tedious process, which requires time that I'd rather do anything else with, like sitting on thumbtacks.

Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?

Right now, see previous question. And... maybe not something makes me angry, but something that peeves me off. Those who sell their way of doing things as the right way and the only way to do things. because their sensibilities and tastes are the only ones that matter.

What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?

I don't know. I don't think I really get frustrated at writing. Every story has it's own unique set of challenges. The toughest ones for me are figuring out what my characters want, why they want it, and how it all comes together into a meaningful journey at the end.

What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

Time. Not necessarily to write, because I make time for that, but so I can do everything else I want to without sacrifice.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

I'm trying to get a crystal-clear insight into the lives of other writers, to discover what challenges we share, which are individual and which are universal...

I would enormously appreciate it if you were to provide your opinions/ experiences on the below

1. What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
   
   
2. What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
   
   
3. Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
   
   
4. What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
   
   
5. What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

I'm super curious to see if our experiences align or differ. Looking forward to reading your answers guys!

1. Random ideas while about to fall asleep that necessitate pulling out my phone to write them down lest I forget, lol.

2. That everything I’ve accomplished so far has been some kind of accident, and I don’t really have it in me to realize the full extent of my ambitions.

3. My own perfectionism and how I return again and again to it despite trying to hard to overcome it.

4. Feeling like I have no one to share it with. Tediousness of writing imperfect things and knowing I will have to edit extensively. And plot...oh, god, I hate plot but I probably don’t understand enough about it to even hate it.

5. You know when you finish a really good book and you close the cover and you’re just disoriented and you can’t do anything but stare blankly into the ceiling because you’re so filled, and emptied, by what you just experienced?

I want to do that for someone. That’s all I want.

 

[Sayer]

Really interesting answers! Just to provide my own...

1. If there's one thing that keeps me up at night, it's new ideas rather than any particular worry. Night time is actually when my mind is most effervescent, and I frequently have to switch the light back on to note things down.
   
   
2. My greatest fear is not ever being recognised for my efforts.
   
   
3. I am most angered by the popularity of poor writing. Books that are lazily written and badly thought-out that go on to sell well. At the same time, talented writers go unnoticed... a tragic state of affairs.
   
   
4. My 3 biggest frustrations are the complexity of trying to string together a coherent but multi-layered plot, the difficulty of the 'muddling middle' and the trickiness of gaining recognition.
   
   
5. My secret wish would be to have my book in the window of Waterstones someday (I walk by every morning and imagine the same thing).
   

 

[Sayer]

>A private room that can only access the web for music.
That's such an obvious app! I can't believe no one has thought of it. If anyone here can code, you really ought to give consideration to this:

An app that lets me connect to the Internet, but only to a music source, as specified by the user. Add a timer.

I've often wished that there was some kind of software that would literally prevent me from procrastinating online. Like, you can choose three web-pages (one for writing, one for music, one for research) and it locks off anything else for an hour or two. Hmm...

 

[Demesnedenoir]

>A private room that can only access the web for music.
That's such an obvious app! I can't believe no one has thought of it. If anyone here can code, you really ought to give consideration to this:

An app that lets me connect to the Internet, but only to a music source, as specified by the user. Add a timer.

There’s an App for that, at least on the ipad, where I can control my kids’ available apps by time of day and day of the week... although I haven’t tried to control my own ipad. I write on an ipad pro and edit/format on desktop, so it’d probably work.

 

[Firefly]

Wouldn't it be simpler to just download music and then turn off the wifi?

Sorry, we are seriously derailing this thread...

 

[pmmg]

What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?

As a writer, not much, other than I tend to do my writing at night, after everyone goes to bed, which is like between midnight and 2:00am. I rather like when the story is so much on my mind that I cannot sleep for thinking about it.

What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
Fear is too strong a word. I think something along the lines of not quite capturing what I want to capture as it plays out in my head.


Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
Interruptions. And the way times seems to waste as I try to get into writing mode.


What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
Interruptions
Distractions
Not being able to do it fast enough.

What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?
Time. (Ummm....that would probably be my answer to anything that has to do with secretly wishing...this is about writing right?)

 

[Devor]

Sorry for derailing the thread. I should've mentioned, though, that of late I just use my Alexa speakers for music, and it helps me stay off the 'net.

 

[pmmg]

My secret wish would be to have my book in the window of Waterstones someday (I walk by every morning and imagine the same thing).

I don't know waterstones, but don't be surprised if its not around anymore when you become famous.

 

[pmmg]

When Writing, I do tend to listen to music, but whatever it is, it has to be sufficiently mundane that I am mostly unaware it is playing. I think it is more about shutting out the rest of the world. To this aim, I tend to have a rotation of a few songs, that just repeat, and not a lot of variety. Even as few as two songs is enough for my purposes. Though it is not always music. Anything that engages me will never do for writing.

 

[Maker of Things Not Kings]

What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
Nothing. I get up at 5am to write so by the time my head hits the pillow I am out. Luckily I only need 5 or 6 hrs of sleep a night. I recently did the math on how many more years I have been awake than the average 8-9 hr a night sleeper my age. I have no excuse for not getting things done.

What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
Agree with pmmg about the fear being a strong word. But the closest thing to it is knowing full well how easy it is to NOT follow through on something I may want to do. That's a lifelong battle that I don't struggle with much these days and, fortunately, I have almost always won out.

Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
Probably the fact that I really cannot stay in that perfect, uncluttered head space I'd like for more than a few hours a day. That's why I write so early in the AM. Before the brain gets up to speed and while the world outside is silent.

What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
Indecisiveness. (for say, plot direction or character study)
All the other somethings (story ideas) that are nipping at my heels as I write.
The angle I prefer to sit at in relation to my laptop makes my trackpad cursor jump all over the screen and about twice an hour I am suddenly typing in the wrong place in a document. Luckily I watch the screen as I type so I tend to catch it right away.

What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?
That I'd begun my writing practice about ten years sooner than I did.

 

[William Russell]

1. 
   1 - What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
   
   The glow of the screen until 10pm then it switches to blue light filter - then I can fall asleep at 2AM.
   But seriously - I think I often wonder if anything I write will appeal to anyone.
   
   2 - What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
   
   Afraid that I will miss a good idea in the plot.
   
   3 - Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
   
   Beta readers who aren't into the genre as you cannot know if they like your work or not or why they don't - whether it is disinterest or your writing.
   
   4 - What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
   
   Trying to remember things you thought of when you were in the shower or at the mall.
   Not having waterproof paper on hand when in said shower.
   Feeling like a character has changed from your original first chapter to when you are writing the last. Frustration.
   Church Bells - you never know when marauding pirates are heading to your shores!
   
   5 - What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?
   That I am actually good at it and people will read my novels and go on an adventure, like I do when I read good novels. That and Nacho's - I like them with black olives and lots of cheese.
   

 

[Hir i-Chorvath]

1 - What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
I seem to get all my best ideas between 11 to 2 at night and I will write until I am so tired that I can no longer make coherent sentences and hope that I still have that train of thought in the morning.

- What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
I'm not afraid, I'm terrified that it will be horrible and all my hard work was for nothing.

- Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing something?
When people won't stop bugging me and I can't think straight, and the fact that I need to sleep. It is so frustrating and it completely ruins whatever I happen to be writing at the moment!

- What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
1. Writing travel scenes or things that happen over the course of several years, summarizing the story.
2. Forgetting something that I was sure was critical to the story and only remembering it after I change it. Bah!
3. Not being able to remember the right word to describe something when I need it.

- What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?
That's easy. I wish that my work turns out to be as good as I want it to be. Anybody know if there's a genie around to grant that one? Magic lamp maybe?

 

[Chessie2]

I'm trying to get a crystal-clear insight into the lives of other writers, to discover what challenges we share, which are individual and which are universal...

I would enormously appreciate it if you were to provide your opinions/ experiences on the below

1. What (if anything) about your life as a writer keeps you up at night?
   
   
2. What are you most afraid of when it comes to your writing?
   
   
3. Who or what makes you angry when it comes to writing?
   
   
4. What are the top 3 frustrations you face when writing something?
   
   
5. What do you secretly wish for more than anything else as a writer?

I'm super curious to see if our experiences align or differ. Looking forward to reading your answers guys!

1. Nothing. I do not normally lose sleep over anything. Sleep is sacred.
2. I used to be afraid of sucking, now I don't care. I used to be afraid of never selling books or being laughed out of the industry. Now I see how ridiculous that line of thought is. Truth for me is that I am most afraid of not growing in my craft. Discoverability just takes time...years.
3. The only thing that makes me angry is when my writing time is interrupted. My family knows that if the house isn't burning down/life or death then I'm not to be bothered.
4. Consistency in the story, flow and rhythm of the prose, characterization and the ending are my problem areas.
5. To have more fans.