10 Things to stop doing to yourself as a writer had some interesting points to consider. I think I do more than these to be honest. Writers… we love to beat ourselves up about our writing.
“Stop being afraid. Aspiring writers are experts at being afraid. Are you afraid of failure or success? You’ll never know if you don’t finish a book. Try not to compare yourself to other writers and bloggers who seem to have everything together. Remember that they began somewhere. The only difference between them and you is that they actually started. They experienced many failures before they achieved success. They spent thousands of hours writing their fears into silence. They were prepared to make mistakes. Are you? Remember that our writing lives will improve only when we take chances. The world often does not reward perfection; it rewards people who simply get things done.”
I think I manage to be afraid of failure and success to be honest. Although I am always prepared to make mistakes. So stop being afraid, eh? I could do that. Until I succeed and have that fear of success going on again.
Stop wasting time thinking about mistakes you’ve made. Do not obsess about that book you should not have self-published before it was ready. Try not to think about how other authors have written exactly the same book you were going to write – if only you’d had the time. Do not regret the course you didn’t take, the degree you didn’t pursue, the job offer that would have helped your writing career. The past is just that. It’s time to move on. Make a list of all the things you can do in the future”
I love to dwell on mistakes. Past mistakes are food for thought on my insomniac filled nights. It is true that it should be expected in the process of learning to self-publish we make mistakes. And learn from them. So we should not dwell on the mistake but what we in fact learned from the mistake. What we did not do the next time. How we improved and will continue to improve.
Makes you wonder though doesn’t it? What gets in the way of your writing? What do you do, or think about that gets in the way of your goals as a writer?
I think for me it can be a few things. There is chronic illness, which slows me down as a writer. Procrastination, always my worst enemy. This sort of self-doubt that hits me at the end of a novel that makes me think the whole thing is drivel at that point. Over all self-doubts I suppose. My inner critic comes out to play a little too much.
I often think the best way for me to go about writing is to just write without thinking about the process at all. Complete the rough draft without any censor. I might let myself be more free and creative without doubt and criticism. I usually work on editing and re-working as I go along. My rough draft is really not that rough at all in the end.
The Wyrd 