As you’re well aware, being a writer is hard work that requires diligence, overcoming many obstacles that may suddenly assert themselves without much warning. However you try to avoid the artistic difficulties outlined below, one or more of them will inevitably make their presence known during the writing process. To help you accept and ultimately triumph over these common problems, our experienced professionals have detailed the best solutions to each.
WRITERS BLOCK: One minute you’ll find yourself quickly scribbling down sentences and beautiful lines in a furious fit of inspiration, and the next you’ll suddenly find yourself stuck, drawing a complete blank, staring vacantly at your computer or notebook. There’s no need to panic; neither is there any reason to give up writing your manuscript altogether. Though this may sound obvious, the best solution for writers block is simply to write. Even if you don’t keep a single word and your prose sounds flat as you write through your block, keep moving forward. Writing takes work. You’ll never push past this frustrating obstacle unless you continue to write through your slumps and once again attain the intense frenzy of creative inspiration.
TIME CRUNCH: Eight hours of work, an hour for dinner, another hour for errands, then factor in quality family time and relaxation, and how much time actually remains for working on your manuscript? Keeping a writing schedule—whether an hour per day or a few hours on the weekend—is definitely necessary if you ever wish to complete your manuscript. Budgeting your time can be difficult, especially when it comes to incorporating such a lengthy pursuit as a novel into your daily life, but it helps to keep you on track without the backlash of writer’s burnout. However you allocate your time and whatever your profession, make sure you create a writing schedule that strikes a healthy balance between your personal life and artistic stretches.
LACK OF MOTIVATION: Starting your first sentences and then finishing your first chapter can be an exciting event in an emerging writer’s life, but considering you have much more of the same tasks ahead of you in order to complete just one manuscript can certainly become overwhelming. One of the difficulties writers must face while constructing their larger projects is maintaining momentum. Without proper motivation and a healthy work ethic, you might be inclined to stop altogether, assuring yourself that you’ll finish the manuscript “later,” a word that could be the death of your manuscript before ever getting off the ground. In order stay on track even when your final period seems so far away, it helps to have friends and peers to motivate you as your momentum starts to wane. Therefore, make certain to inform other writers about your creative goal to finish your manuscript so that you are held accountable. With their support and motivation feeding your own drive, you’ll undoubtedly complete your manuscript, finally able to share your project with fellow writers, readers, as well as those who supported you.
JUDGMENT OF PEERS: Writing something that’s deeply personal and revealing your true message in your own unique words is difficult enough, and as a result, many writers eventually become fearful of showing their initial work to others, especially to experienced readers and writers. Remember, though, that constructive criticism will only help you develop a better manuscript in the long run. Though showing (and publishing) your most personal work can be extremely scary, keep in mind that famous authors are only celebrated today because they dared to create deeply personal works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, which moved readers with their unflinching honesty and the organic flow of their writing. In short, always follow your heart when writing and exercise your artistic talent, and readers will recognize your depth and sincerity as a result.