The Ebb and Flow of Creativity

Recently, I’ve been struck again about the importance of viewing writing holistically. I’ve written about this idea in previous posts—particularly when speaking about worldbuilding or the “character-first vs. plot-first” dichotomy—and, likely, many other authors and artists have talked about the same concept using different language (nothing new under the sun, amiright?). But it’s resurfaced in my mind because I’ve come upon another slow patch of writing my WIP, and like all other times before, I don’t like it.

2 Reasons to Stop Complaining About Writing

Anyone who knows me well also knows I have a long list of pet peeves—often minor issues or preferences that cause a moment of frustration before I move on to more productive things. But there are a handful of items on the list that cause a deeper sort of agitation, especially when I see them everywhere I look. In the realm of writing, self-deprecating humor and complaining are two frequent offenders.

The Question I Ask to Overcome Comparison

Comparison is a nearly ubiquitous problem for humanity, but because I’m a part of and immersed in creative spheres, the way comparison creeps into the minds of artists and writers is particularly apparent to me. It’s also apparent because I’ve fallen into the trap myself, and will likely fall into it again, or come near the edge, in the future. The line between admiration and comparison (and jealousy) is fine and easy to cross. What begins as “wow, this author does such a good job with themes! I want to write strong themes like they do” quickly degrades into “I wish I was as good of a writer as they are,” then “I’m so bad at writing, everything I create is shallow,” and then “I’ll never be as good as other writers are.” And by that point, the comparison hole is so deep that it can takes hours or days to crawl up out of it.

The Importance of Reconciling Faults

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I finished my WIP’s outline last week and started my 2^nd draft this weekend. To say I’m excited is an understatement—this novel has been over three years in the making, with years of formulating ideas and writing old drafts before I finally honed the specific ideas, setting, plot, and characters. Beyond the excitement, though, beginning the 2^nd draft reminded me of an integral part of my writing journey: reconciling myself to my faults.

How to Deal with Writer’s Block

“Writer’s block’ is just a fancy way of saying ‘I don’t feel like doing any work today.” ― Meagan Spooner

The overwhelming impression I have of advice for writer’s block, gleaned over my years of storytelling, is summed up in the above quote: writer’s block isn’t real—it’s your brain’s excuse to be lazy—so keep writing anyway. While there’s some truth in that, it’s never helped me to view my “writer’s block” moments that way because all writer’s block is not created equal.