Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Tuesday's Inspiration - Discouragement Be Gone #MFRWauthor #Suspense


Discouragement often sets in once a story is started. First you think something like one of these. Does this story make sense? Are these characters strong enough to carry the plot to the end? Worst of all is what happens when you sit down and stare at the blank page and start to think things like this. "I'm not a good writer. I no longer have the drive to succeed. What will the reviewers think of this story. I know they'll hate it. Or what if people are offended by what I'm writing." This can evolve into a spiral that takes you to the bottom.

Is there a cure? Since this is all in your head, you need to turn off that negative voice in your head and start putting the words on the page. Most of the time, the words will start to flow and you'll start to care about the people in your story and the path they're taking to reach their goals. A line may please you and you think, did I really write that. Of course you did and that line can spawn many more. You'll get into the heat of the writing and it won't matter what other people including reviewers think of your story. Suddenly you'll wonder why you thought you weren't a writer and the clouds of discouragement will vanish. And you'll be on the way to another story and eager to finish the one you started. You'll also know that when you begin a new story you might face the same self-doubts but you've conquered them once and again and again.

2 comments:

Sandy said...

Janet, self-doubt is a natural enemy of a writer. It's there always, but like you say you must keep going.

Janet Lane Walters said...

How true. I usually don't feel that way when I begin something new but after I've sent it off