I felt the same way last night. I have been writing the first chapter for a full MONTH because of the imagined pressure I've placed on myself. I think I suck. I think, "Why am I even still at this? I've been writing for fourteen years and I still don't have an agent." I felt that way. And yeah, the first commenter called you "depressing," but that's how depressed people sound, so... (No offense, Oscar.) Anyway, my advice is to find yourself a cheerleader. I'm lucky enough to have a great friend who legitimately believes I'm the next J. K. Rowling. He's someone who is SHOCKED when I start to doubt myself. It shuts me right up, because I don't want him to continue praising me. I feel like he's only saying it to make me feel better. But he MEANS it. And that is all we need. We need a cheerleader. Find one who reads everything you write with enthusiasm and these dark days will brighten for you. I'm sorry you are losing faith in yourself, but know that you are not alone.
Not to say that critique is not valuable--but when you're down, you need lifted back up. Sometimes we need a cheerleader, not critique. And I agree that these forums are not the place to find a cheerleader, lol.
Lol, you are, I'm sure. Just thought that calling the original poster 'depressing' was a tad insensitive, is all. You're awesome, seriously. I've read your posts on other threads.
Well, in other thread he's made, like, almost all of them, he's brought up that he's suffering from some kind of depression/anxiety thing and some kind of social disorder. And he always seems to complain about the issues there. Which is slightly time-wasting. And he's said before he's open to critical feedback. And I'm curious, what threads with me in them have you looked at? EDIT: Ooh, you were on my excerpt. Cool.
You say your writing isn't adult enough, but you know you don't have to write for adults. Many best-sellers are for young adults and the language and stories are simpler. Plus, you're not judging yourself on your first draft are you? My first drafts are horribly simplistic, totally lack emotion, detail and description too. I have to add all that in later, it's something that doesn't come naturally. When you are reading other peoples novels you're reading a finished, polished product that's gone through many re-writes. They all start out as pretty bad as well probably.
Chin up, man! Every single writer goes through this, and anyone who honestly says, "Oh, I never once hated my writing or thought I was wasting my time" is clearly deluding themselves. Let me give you a sneak peak on the basic plots of some of my stories. - A generic fantasy about a world war starring...a blind assassin! (Ooooo! How original!!!!) - A generic historical mystery set in Colonial America starring...a blind French detective. (Wow, how masterfully awesome!!) - A generic mystery that's basically The Hardy Boys set in modern times, except my character has zero ties to any law enforcers. (Great out-of-the-box thinking!) - A sci-fi space adventure that's basically Star Trek: The Next Generation meets Mass Effect and Picard is a woman. (Wooo! Look at how enthralling this idea is! Truly, Link is a master of creativity!!) By the way, the comments in the () are wholly sarcastic and done by me. It took me eleven years to get this but here's the thing... if you love what you've written, if you want to keep writing your book, if you still want to keep writing... THEN YOU ARE A WRITER! ACCEPT IT, SIT YOUR BUTT DOWN AND WRITE! IT'S A FIRST DRAFT, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT!! WHO CARES IF NOT EVERYONE LIKES IT? WRITE THE FLONKING THING!!!!!!!!
I like to replace swear words with words that are kind of close to it, or make up wholly crazy new swear words.
Now I can't see your avatar without think "That's just great, Neil. Tell the fascist where our toilet is!"
I would read the shit out of this tbh.. As for OP, have you seen a professional about your anxiety and depression? It's super important. I've been that low myself and it ain't fun. Do something about it, your mental health is way more important than your writing.
Helen Chert would love to grace your imagination with her adventures. But yeah, @ILaughAtTrailers - are you doing something about your anxiety? Trust me, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and for a long while it crippled my creativity. Smothered it dead. When I started taking meds, I found my world opening up in ways I couldn't imagine and the best part is, I'm writing again. Half of the problem could just be that you need the right meds to kick that depression/anxiety down the obligatory bottomless pit of doom.
You can have hate and love together. You can love your ideas and believe in them, but hate certain things about the way it's written, and have that desire to improve and change. But, hate is such a strong word. Hate is for tyrants and oppressors and people who cause suffering and destruction in the world. Having hate for your writing seems a little....harsh. "Dislike" instead? I read one of your pieces in the workshop section, and I think I commented on it. As I recall, the ideas and concepts are really not bad, and they have a lot of potential. The problem was that it read like an infodump, like you're simply telling us about the story's world rather than creating immersive scenes that make it real for us. Do you read a lot of novels that are similar to what you aspire to write? If not, that should be a first step.
This is where I am - I love my ideas but the execution is still at the hair-pulling arrgh! level of why-can't-I-get-this-right!
I wonder sometimes if that ever goes away? I've had a couple short stories and poems published. By the time they appeared in print, I could hardly look at them. There were so many pieces that could have been bettered, but I missed at the time of final revisions before publication. I have the feeling even established novelists have difficulty looking at their previous work. Writers seem to be especially hard on themselves. This is CERTAINLY true for me.
Yeah I have bipolar disorder and am taking medication and they really help. This isn't really depression or anxiety, but it's just more frustration that I'm not anywhere with my novel yet.
Sounds to me like you need to chill out on yourself. Certainly posting on here about how terrible you are isn't going to make you a better writer. This may offend you, and I'm sorry for that, but I'll say it anyway. If you want to be a better writer, close your mouth (fingers), and read, read, read, read, read, read. Once you've read a lot, read some more. Instead of focusing on all of the negatives and wallowing in self pity, actively do something to better your craft. Loosen up. No one is perfect. No one expects perfection. Just write, enjoy it, and work to make yourself better. If I flew off the handle the way you do every time I thought my writing was garbage, I wouldn't do it anymore. You have to learn to accept things for what they are. It doesn't sound like you're getting much enjoyment out of what you do. So why do it?
I'm okay reading my older stuff (I think mostly because I just skim) but I can't STAND listening to audio book versions of my books. Just awful.
It's not so much the bigger picture of my past work, just minor things. Little phrasings that make me cringe. Mistakes that I should have caught, but was rushed, or ignorant, etc. I bet listening to your audio books would be gruelling. It's cool that you have those, though.
