You're a year away from being done and the semester is approaching mid-term and if I'm right, you'll soon be done with your creative writing class. Here's my question, without the influence of the class, how much are you going to be focusing on writing? Finish out your major, keep writing as a hobby. If it continues to grow, go back to school and persue it, but you still need a job that pays for heat and lights. I majored in English. Teaching isn't something I was interested in doing, so I work at a bookstore and proofread on the side. My writing is purely recreational at this point. Does my parental unit think I should be doing more with my life: Obviously. But here's the catch, I love my job, the books and people I work with and the sheer diversity of the days. You wouldn't be majoring in mathematics and education if it didn't actually matter. I've had friends, who have majored in those fields and the course work is no walk in the park. You've come this far, so just finish it out, see what lays at the end of the path. The beauty of the life is possessing the ability to change our minds, but in order to have a well rounded opinion you do need to complete the journey. Don't get stuck on the sidetrack. Just remember where you saw it and eventually, if the chosen path wears thin, revisit it. - Darkkin, the Tedious
I suppose I'm in a similar situation but reading all the replies above has really made me think a bit more clearly. The greatest fear I see we share is the concept of losing time and thinking how much of it can be lost on writing if it potentially turns out to be a waste. But I suppose that's a risk we have to take. I think it should be a hobby as far as time is concerned but as far as your passion is concerned it should be devoted to writing, as someone said before something has to pay the bills if not that. I guess this is the bitch of life. Personally I've always been thinking of the year like a pie or something. You take out a piece intended for something, say studying college and you think that after a month you finish the studying and you can focus on writing but it doesn't work like that. Turns out you have to balance it out in your every day life, just like a hobby. I frequently find myself "resting" from studying and saying to myself that I shouldn't work on my stories because today was a day for studying. It would be very easy if life was like:" okay, here is a month for writing" but it doesn't work like that. You have to balance it out every day and risk losing time because after all if you care so much about writing you should be willing to risk losing time on it. Worst part is I can say all this but I struggle to follow it myself. As for the self confidence bit, it's definitely normal but I can easily understand how it feels at the stage of the beginning. When you've written a few works you have at least something to fall back on and say " At least I wrote other works that were good." But at the start it's very uncomfortable because there is no safety net. Everyone had to go through it and so can we.
It isn't the prospect of being a successful, selling writer that makes writing worthwhile, even if publishing is your ultimate goal. So, I would never view my writing as "time lost". It's time spent, and from the time I began spending, I've enjoyed it, and will continue to do so, whether I ultimately attain success or not. @United - my advice is to continue your career plan, with the understanding that you will pursue writing as well. That's what I did. Life intervened and threw some unexpected curve balls my way. It may well do the same for you. But I've always had my love of writing.
Years ago I had a quote stuck to my wall in my home office. During a move, I lost it so I don't remember who the author of the comment was. But I do remember the quote (though, perhaps, inexact in content.) The author of the quote was, and I'm guessing still is, a very well-known, successful writer. His words really hit home for me. "Every time you publish a new book, you are always certain, this time they [the reader public] will realize that I am a fraud and what a really bad writer I am." And this from a guy who had been in the business, at the top of the heap for many years. So, yes, it is normal to have self-doubts. But that doesn't mean you have to give in to them. But, to underscore what others have already said, don't stop doing what you do. Keep working toward that degree. Even if, someday, you end up as the world's best selling novelist ever, you will never regret having that degree.
I have self doubt, too. And I'm not planning to make a living off this. My plan is to stick the book online somewhere and hopefully make enough to take the kids out for ice cream. (And write more after that.)
Doubting yourself is completely normal, and everyone succumbs to it at some point. In fact, if I posted all the things Kafka wrote about doubting himself, I'd be here all day.
Throwing your career prospects into the air to become a writer, out of the blue? On impulse? No. Bad plan. Once you have written and sold your work and built it up to a level where you know you can continue to do this for a living, THEN consider chucking the day job. Not before. You won't actually gain as a writer by stopping living 'life' anyway, especially if it means you can't pay your bills, keep your internet connection going, replace your computer when it goes phut, etc. You kind of need the interaction you get with a job, work colleagues, getting to and fro, etc, to keep your writing juices flowing. I'm retired now, but I know I was a much more productive writer when I also had a 'day job.' I think it had to do with the discipline of needing to fit writing into my schedule. Now that I don't have to fit it in, I find myself putting it off! Perverse. I know.
I have the same sort of problem, jannert, and I'm not even retired! But every time I have down time or vacation time or a long weekend coming up, I always think, "Ahhhh. NOW I'll be able to get some productive writing done!" A week later? I'm lucky if I've gotten ten pages done!
Self-doubt is normal, but like they've already replied here don't quit your education to become a mathematician. If I could go back to school to further my knowledge on writing I would. But I have other obligations and people to take care of that require me to have a steady income. Writing to me isn't a hobby, it's a passion. A way to express my thoughts and feeling, but writing is lucrative. It doesn't pay the bills or feed my kids. Use your writing to do that if you want, but remind yourself that you'll need a job to work towards your goal to become a full time writer. At least that's what works for me, but I also enjoy what I do. That's not to say I don't find myself wanting to quit my current job either. It all comes down to your choice. Do you want to be one of those that struggle everyday and worry about income, picking up odd jobs here and there? Or would you rather have a career as a teacher who has the opportunity to surround yourself with people who can give you some incite on writing and still have a steady income? Imagine what it would be like if you didn't have a career and spent most of your time worrying about money. It takes away your focus on writing when you get the chance to do so. Good luck!
I was just reading about Stephen King and how he still doubts himself with every new book... http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/stephen-king-the-rolling-stone-interview-20141031 Now, his doubts are on a more artistic level rather than a financial one. I don't think he needs to worry about making a living. But in terms of self-doubt being natural? Yeah, apparently so!
Yes, you should stick with the day plan, but that doesn't mean you should stop writing. Life is hardly ever an either/or proposition, and if writing is what you were meant to do, it'll get you back one way or the other. There are very few great authors who produced anything of value in their twenties. There are some I can think of offhand, but most needed time to develop their talent and experience life enough to have anything of importance to say. Writing is a unique 'sport' in that the older you are the better you get, so finishing a degree won't hurt you, and will actually add to the store of experience you can draw on later for your first masterpiece.
One of the best responses I have heard on the subject of writes block is from Ray Bradbury, the exact quote escapes me but it's something to the tune of If you haves writers block then your doing something wrong, stop what your doing and start something else. you can always go back to it.
I think sometimes we forget the Godlike power of being a writer. Create a character, change a scene, burn down something your audience will think your character desperately needs and think through the ramifications. See if it helps. If not, burn down something else. Kill Dumbledore. Kill Wilson. Put your characters on their own. If it doesn't work? Undelete was created for a reason ;-)
I dont know because i've always taken ideas as they come, and note down things that sometimes pop into my head. i would say that you take ideas as they come if you are not in a hurry, or note down any ideas that you have and develop them, but since im still a beginner at this i cant say much. i havent had much of writers block but for me, i would take it easy, do other things instead if sitting in front of your ccomputer all day squeezing ideas out.. ideas will come to you eventually hope you get over your writers block soon!
I have had these kinds of things before, perhaps it would do you good to do up a plot of how the story would progress before you start writing to save you the thinking when you have already started writing. otherwise you might get frustrated and end up wanting to give up on the story.. ive done that many times
I think that's why there's no easy answer to solving writers' block - there seem to be more than one type, and they may require different remedies. I experience a 4th: 4. Lack of skill and experience so not sure how to proceed. Contrary to Daedalus' claim that other professions don't have 'blocks', in my experience, any profession's project runs into a stagnation when the labourer does not know how to get to the finished product from where they currently stand. I was repairing my fence over the summer and it went swimmingly until I discovered the bent post was rotted just aboveground. I had no idea how to pull the four foot buried base of the post up, and the project came to a screeching halt for two weeks while I fished around for advice. I remember when I first got a computer - my dad brought home a Vic-20 that was donated to him by a coworker who had upgraded to a Commodore 64 and knew I was a technical kid. It had no manual, so the first day that I set it up, I just stared at the screen like I'd never seen a TV before. I wan't lazy, just no idea how to proceed. I think this is more the beginner's version of Writers' Block. I suspect that more advanced writers see less and less of this, but possibly more and more of the following: And possibly a 5th: 5. Analysis Paralysis. This is what a lot of the advice I've seen in this thread has been assuming, and I have experienced this. The character can do *anything* but choosing one often excludes others... how do I make the right choice? I found some breakthrough tools that help me at least write *something*, and just bought one more last month in a kickstarter, which should allegedly be arriving in the next week or so. They're all randomizers. They don't write the story or plot or characters for me, but they put *me* on my course. If I know I'm following the 3rd star to the left, I can go straight on 'till morning. I'm not specifically endorsing this product (I don't think they're even for sale right now) but provide this link so you can see what I'm talking about: https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2Fprojects%2F913409803%2Fwriter-emergency-pack-helping-writers-get-unstuck&ei=-V2YVJ-YKY3hsASO7IHoBg&usg=AFQjCNFvKLy_aMC_dhPQexVIeyMBaGuJWA&bvm=bv.82001339,d.cWc
I have the opposite to writers block. I have idea's I want to write about but just can't bring myself to actually write about it. My own words look really stupid. I have ideas, people, art I want to do justice with my words but it seems impossible. I want people to tell me what I'm doing wrong yet don't want anyone to see it at all. Normal for beginners? Second question. I hear teachers say to my classmates that their article was really well written. What does that even mean? I thought my stuff was thorough enough.
Not normal, no. You know full well that no one can tell you what you're doing wrong (if anything) if you don't let them read your work. My advice? Grow up, get over yourself and submit your stories to the proper forums here when you can, for critique. If you can't do that, you'll never be able to submit your work to publishers and you'll never be a professional writer. Second question. How would we know? Ask the teachers about what they liked about your classmates' writing and didn't like about yours.
Normal? Yes, in the sense that it's common. But common or not, it's counterproductive and will keep you from progressing with your writing. One possible strategy could be to start by writing about things that are less important to you, to separate the anxiety of letting people see your writing, from the anxiety of letting people see your most important ideas. Someday, you'll have to face both at once, but you don't have to start out that way if you don't want to. I'd have to see their writing to know exactly what the teacher was referring to, but your saying "thorough" gives me a possible hint. "Thorough" is not a full evaluation of a creative activity. It suggests that there is nothing incorrect or illogical, but it doesn't necessarily suggest that there are any unexpected ideas, or humor, or charm, or special grace. But I'm not suggesting right now that you seek to achieve unexpected ideas, humor, charm, or special grace. Right now, while you're nervous about just writing, just write. Just get words down. Regularly. Frequently. Let the next step wait a little while.
Being a writer is a scary thing. You're putting yourself down on paper and sadly there are always going to be people that don't like what you have to say. We are all different so of course it would be strange to think that every single last person is going to like your work. The secret is to learn how to accept criticism. Yes, it's scary but you won't learn anything if you don't put yourself forward. Most people will in fact be quite good about it. They will compliment you on what you did well and even suggest what areas you can improve. I would suggest trying out fan fiction if you haven't already. (If you have, feel free to skip the rest of this paragraph.) Find yourself a beta on the site (Fanfiction.net), write something and post it. The Beta should be a decent writer and will be able to give you some good feedback. There are thousands on the site so you will be able to find someone, it just may take a bit of looking at first to find a good match. It is a great place to practice writing and then you will also have the benefit of receiving reviews from readers. Best of all, you'll be completely anonymous. You will get some negative comments but it is the internet and again, it will be good practice for you to hear negative criticism. Alternatively, you can try writer's courses if you feel your writing isn't good enough. Forums are all well and good but I think if you are really serious, joining a local writing group or signing up for a course is a great way to go. Since you mentioned you are at school though, maybe you won't do this for a couple of years as many of them cost money. If you do want to do one however, I recommend trying out the UK Writer's College. You can find them online and their courses cover off on almost everything you can think of. You can do them at home or anywhere that you have access to the internet and a computer. They are all run by professional, published authors. Most of them cost about $500 Australian but they are very good value for money. I started with 'Basics of Creative Writing' and was blown away by it. Lots of simple things I never knew and had not been taught through the school system but are so necessary to becoming a good writer. Finally, my last piece of advice is that you need to love what you do. The more you love it, the easier it is to write. Don't compare yourself to others. They aren't you for a start and you're only wasting energy thinking about them. You are you and your writing will develop if given the chance. A lot of the time we all want to write the perfect story straight off the bat. Sadly though, that is an unrealistic view of things. The difficult part about writing is ignoring how much you may not like a certain part and leaving it to come back on in the second draft. If you don't and you sit there and agonise over it you will never get any further. Believe me, I know. I can tell you right now that I am a certified perfectionist and struggle just as much as you when it comes to believing in myself and just getting on with the job. You can do. I believe in you. Don't be afraid to shout out that you want to be an author. In fact, say it as many times as it takes to convince yourself. Good luck.
If you want my advice, don't think so much about it. Just pick something you've been wanting to write about but couldn't find the courage to and write about it! Even if it looks stupid to you, continue writing. The trick is to get your thoughts down on paper; you can refine those in the final draft.
