four essential issues that result in writing anxiousness (and methods to overcome them)
Have you ever felt a rush of scared writing while trying to end your story? Do you often label this writer's pad before letting it take over? While writing, did you feel anxious, like you were a poor writer, and then made you give up?
Countless writers suffer from fear of writing every day.
Whether you view this as resistance or low self-esteem, writing fear can keep you from ending this beautiful, unique story that only you can tell. Here are four common problems that fuel writing anxiety and tips on how to overcome them.
At some point we all suffered from fear of writing
I admit that the fear of writing has stalled much of my writing. It is undesirable but sometimes impossible to ignore.
I can't count the number of stories I didn't finish writing or the half-hearted novel ideals I started and gave up because I became too anxious to keep writing.
I gave up ideas in the first sentence, in the first chapter, in the first ten thousand words. I have a book of about sixty thousand words on my computer. It's full scene after scene and all of them have grown to a brilliant climax that I never wrote down. Mainly because I allowed writing fear to freeze me just before the finish line.
Much of this fear comes from perfectionism – we as writers desperately long to deliver a perfect book.
I know I have. I got nervous about my first drafts.
I have held onto hope and dreamed of this magical last page, but I cannot find it in myself to end it. I get lost in excuses like, "I have to work out those rusty sentences that weigh down this version before I write the final showdown," or "Maybe I need to go back to act one and correct that before I can write this." ”
It is exhausting.
However, this is not an uncommon problem.
The thought of delivering anything but perfect to our beta readers (and possibly next-level readers) keeps us from either 1) not finishing our stories at all or 2) being too anxious to share our stories, as soon as they are done.
I know because I did. Fear of writing is a pain in my fingertips and I wouldn't be surprised if it blocked you.
That sixty thousand word novel I mentioned? It is older than my children now.
Fear of writing is a nasty but natural problem.
And we can overcome that too.
4 sources of writing anxiety (and how to overcome them)
Over the past few years, I've recognized four main problems that cause my fear of writing. This has enabled me to discover and practice better habits that have proven successful in moving me to the conclusion of my story.
There are many reasons for a writer to be afraid to end a story, especially those who are new to writing.
But if we understand what is holding us back, we can become mindful and prevent fear from manipulating us as we write.
Let's take a look at the four most common reasons we are scared of writing. Better still, let's look at ways to overcome this.
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Too many writers (and unfinished books!) Suffer from fear of writing. Learn how to solve these four common problems.
Problem 1: The story is too long
It's easy to feel that a story is so massive and complicated that you can never do it justice.
Most ideas spring from a novel premise or vision of the climax of a story. This irritates the writer, but then the hard work begins and the fear of writing sets in when trying to build the structure that supports that idea or leads to that final moment.
Big ideas can be very overwhelming, especially when you're just starting out to write.
Do we all dream of writing a franchise masterpiece like the Harry Potter series? Sure! Who wouldn't be thrilled to see J.K. Rowling's writing process?
But complicated books, especially epic fantasy series, take years to plan.
This might be the direction you want to go – that's fine if it is! If it doesn't, take a break.
When you're writing a book, especially your first, the goal should be to deliver a story that readers will enjoy – and enjoying doesn't mean perfect.
Here's an important truth: if readers like your first book, they'll come back and expect you to grow as a writer.
Writing is a life learning process.
Hopefully, once you understand this, you can take a break. You can take this BIG idea and learn how to break it down into scenes that will make fiction (or non-fiction) writing easier.
In fact, the fourth step in Joe Bunting's How to Write a Novel article is to set smaller deadlines that go up to your big deadline (the completion of a book).
You can use the same mindset when planning or writing your BIG story idea. Start small and then build to the ultimate climax.
Solution 1: start small
Think of a story idea and tell it in less than a thousand words. Try to write this in three paragraphs, each describing the beginning, middle and end in one or two sentences. Possibly use your premise to start the summary of each part of the book.
Quality doesn't matter here – the goal is to tell a whole story from start to finish within the word boundary.
Quality can appear in later drafts after you get used to the feeling of writing lowercase, which can also do wonders for your writing confidence.
Problem 2: The story structure is too heavy
“Write a book” sounds simple, but as you dig into it you will find that there is so much more to it.
Incitatory incident? Climax? Hero's Journey? Characterization? There is so much to do to plan and write a book and think about how much can easily cause moments of intense fear to most writers.
Feel like you are trying to tackle an impossible bestseller checklist and your superconscious mind could be causing fists to be frozen in front of the blank page. Typing can bring you to a violent halt, likely paralyzed by analysis, leading you to become obsessed with details that don't matter right away.
You may feel like you are losing control a lot. You reach the midpoint and instead of thickening the plot, it goes completely off course.
All of this is enough to start an anxiety epidemic that will eventually lead you to give up.
It is precisely for this reason that my book stalled for eight years.
And while faithful advice to keep going can get tired – sometimes even useless – the reality is that you can't edit anything that isn't written down.
Not to mention, there is a reason why you are writing by turning scenes into sequences and sequences into nudes.
Messy drafts are good writer's makings because it is time to develop your craft.
Have you ever heard how voice and style are something you cannot teach a writer? Voice and style are specialized scene by scene to the end.
Solution 2: practice
This is simple in theory, but difficult in principle. However, like anything, practice makes perfect, and the more stories you write, the more things you will become second nature.
To relieve yourself of perfectionist pressures, make this first book your "exercise book" or try writing a short story or novella before tackling a 90,000 word manuscript.
This exercise book may be a complete mess, but if you stick to it you will acquire many of the skills required to become a great writer. This will take you well beyond a story. And you will only be better able to tell them!
Problem 3: Leave your story alone for too long
I used to believe that it took years to write a book.
After all, it's such a daunting project. So big, so many details. But the more I wrote, the more I realized that writing doesn't have to take a decade.
Do you remember that advice about a fantasy series? J.R.R. It took Tolkien decades to write the Lord of the Rings series, and for good reason – he spent centuries building Middle-earth and its history in addition to the actual stories.
Your first story doesn't have to be a project of this scale.
You can spend years revising a book, but that first draft can come as soon as you want.
And they'll likely just come faster the more you write.
The first draft of my first book took three years. The first draft of my second took six weeks.
Plotter or Pantser, discovering your writing process and knowing what will bring you to the last page will motivate you to write faster.
Do you need a writing process that will keep you posted from first page to last? We've got everything we've learned from helping thousands of writers complete their books and packed it all into the writing plan planner. Plan your story and write your book with the planner, which is only for writers.
Get the Write Plan Planner here »
Solution 3: write quickly
This is in the interests of both yourself and the book.
Deadlines are critical in making a commitment to completing sections of a book within a set time frame. Establishing consequences for not meeting these deadlines is helpful.
Set a deadline (or a few) and stick to it. Better still, join a writing community like the 100 Day Book Program so you can stay in the know while getting feedback from colleagues and editors.
Remember that quality doesn't matter in the first draft. You don't have to stick to a specific number of words either.
The only thing you have to commit to is End your story. Nothing else matters until you have written down every part of your story.
And if you write quickly to meet the deadlines, you'll also find that what you've written is narrower and more interesting to read. This is because you did not allow yourself to lose your train of thought.
Sloppy writing can be addressed in future drafts. However, if you don't publish your story, these drafts will never happen.
Problem 4: I think you are not a good writer
Yes you are You just haven't written enough.
This deadly mindset is probably the number one problem preventing aspiring writers from getting their book done.
They think, "I'll never get published. I'm not as good as (INSERT AUTHOR ROLE MODEL HERE)."
Maybe you are not yet. But you have too many great stories to tell and only you can tell them your own way.
So let's go.
Solution 4: don't listen to the voice of doubt
Bad writing habits can sneak up on you nastily, but that dubious voice can easily be the most deceptive.
To overcome this, put a jar labeled "Writer Thoughts" on your desk. Add a dollar every time this idea comes up. Every time it shows up and you believe it, add two dollars to it. Every time it comes up, believe it and stop writing, add five dollars.
At the end of each month, use this money to donate to a charity that you don't want to support.
Not a fan of working against the negative? Use this glass as an "ice cream fund" and add to it every time you have a rush that makes you feel like a writer. Pin a note reminding you of this feeling, and if you are taking out the money to self-medicate, make sure to post these notes on your writer's desk to help motivate your next meeting.
Finishing a story can seem scary, especially for those of us who write with an attitude that all writing is easy and glamorous.
Writing is difficult.
But you can do it.
The world needs your stories!
Don't let writing anxiety cause writer's block
One final thought on writing fear:
Sometimes writing anxiety creeps up on writers by calling itself writer's block. This is a problem because it masquerades as something we believe is out of our control.
Many writers will stop writing for a long time because they wait for that creative spark. I'm sure you've heard the advice before: can't wait for the inspiration to strike!
Personally, I like this quote from writer Mary Kay Andrews:
"There's no writer's block. As long as your fingers can move across the keyboard, it will eventually turn into something."
She is right, and this is a big reason The Write Practice encourages writers to take a quarter of an hour at the end of each post to share a call that will help writers write PRAXIS. Now. This second.
Remember, you can spend years thinking about the first draft of your book, but every moment you stop perfecting it prevents you from delivering a finished manuscript for readers to review and criticize.
And without a first draft, there won't be a second.
There won't be a second, third, or forty-fifth book either.
Do yourself a favor and accept the problems your writing anxiety is causing so you can consciously practice how to overcome them.
If you need additional help, I highly recommend checking out some of these great posts on The Write Practice:
But before you do that, take a look at current practice. Strike while the iron is hot and keep going even when it's not hot!
What's the biggest problem adding to your writing anxiety? Share in the comments below.
WORK OUT
Allow yourself a few short writing times for a story with "X" words.
Set your end date (preferably a little earlier rather than later). Take fifteen minutes to fill in four to five small deadlines that you will meet along the way.
Write down a little bit of what you included in each smaller term, either in bullets or in sentences.
When you're done, share the comments. Provide feedback on your writing companion's posts – and keep coming back to let us all know how you're doing your benchmarks!
J. D. Edwin
