Do you ever wonder why you write? I mean think about it, you spend your time putting words down on a page, carefully crafting a story, when all the while you have no idea if it will ever be seen by anyone besides yourself. Which begs the question, is writing for yourself enough?
And then there's the frustration of the submission/rejection syndrome. The frustration of wondering if you're ever going to be good enough to crack those upper tier markets. The frustration of second guessing yourself, wondering if you're smart enough or talented enough to actually be a writer, until you just want to toss every word you've ever written into the fire and walk away from the desk to live a normal, word-free, life.
And still you come back to sit at the desk and put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard crafting yet another story. Are we all just crazy? Or is this what it means to be a writer? How do you deal with the doubts?
11 comments:
I deal with the doubts by writing. I love when I've written something that I enjoy. There's great enjoyment, too, in sharing my work with others, and validation when it gets published.
But it's like washing windows when no one's coming over. No one knows but you. But it's so nice to look at the clean windows and know that you're responsible.
Then, I go back to writing because one of these days... I'll make it. =)
I used to have doubts about people accepting my writing. But since I march to the beat of my own drum, I decided long ago to bring my stories to the masses, by bypassing the normal route of doing things (submitting and waiting for one individual to decide if my story is worthy enough to be published.
So now the only doubts I really have with my writing lie more on a level of content (how much is too much? in this case, it's about sex). I've gotten hammered, both online and at work, about the amount of sex in my writing, so now I'm trying to find that happy medium in between keeping it real/interesting and turning people off.
I deal with the doubts by publishing less:) Seriously, I work on a flash piece for months before letting it go... We all want to be high paid writers but I can honestly say I write for myself and will till the blood stops pumping.
I doubt every story I write at every point of its writing. Every day I start over with a story at sentence one because I am so sure it's lousy. I never write a story in a weekend or even a week, yet I'm not sure that makes it better. Sometimes it feels overworked. And I hate endings.
I think there is a seed of an idea in everything I write that demands to be written- this is more the start than the end result, as not everything turns out, gets finished, or is read by others.
The seeds are usually a new way of looking at things or an emotional journey I want to write about because I want someone else currently on that journey to not feel alone, as I feel when I read things that really stick with me.
But I'd say I continue writing because I've learned that I have to write out these seeds because they will often bloom into something great and I don't want to miss any of them.
And Clair- I love the washing windows analogy. :)
Meeting with other writers is a great way to get re-motivated! We're all in the same boat. Also, a good cup of Hot Chai Latte doesn't hurt either.
Thanks, guys! Yesterday I met a man on line who had no doubts about his writing. He's been writing and publishing for years but still, this just amazed me. And had me wondering if I was the only writer who had doubts about what she was writing. Nice to know that I'm not alone.
Just an added question - do you think men in general are more confident in their writing then women?
Well, I've only been writing for 4 months so I'm not thinking about it. If i think about anything too much I will doubt it so, lets keep those thoughts in the wood shed, if we can!
I'm not sure about that. The only women I've met who are comfortable with their writing, are the ones I found in the blog world.
I think its equally the same.
I write despite any doubts about getting published, because I want to tell a story my way with multiple genres. But now that I have a short fiction piece published it will make the next part of the road somewhat easier. It will still be a slog, but different scenery.
I think every little success helps keep us going, Barbara. It sure makes the journey more enjoyable.
You're probably right, G, that the confidence or lack of it is shared equally among male and female writers. Just sometimes, the men seem to trust more in their abilities to me.
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