Why is Writing So Hard?
Jan 26th, 2009 by Carlos
by binbing
I was reading an old post of mine that asked how much sleep is “enough,” and something else I’ve been dealing with lately kind of snuck up on me.
Writing it tough. That’s no surprise to anyone. To come to the page and put something down that’s creative, interesting, and entertaining—and doing that consistently—is not easy. I try to do it every morning I wake up (at 5:30am, as the post haughtily points out), and sometimes achieve it.
When it comes to my fiction, however, I’ve been falling WAY behind. I haven’t dedicated the time or the effort that I need to if I really want to develop it. So instead of dealing with that and maybe sitting down and editing a story I’ve already written, I’m going to just bitch about why it’s so tough.
Writing fiction is hard for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons it’s so tough for me is because I don’t have to do it.
I could stop agonizing about writing tomorrow by just putting an end the whole thing. And what would happen? Nothing. No one would come down on me about it. No one would demand that I grab a pen and start writing right now, buster! No one would really care. The world, unfortunately, would not stop.
Writing fiction is one of those things that’s fueled solely by my own ambition and motivation. And motivation, as many of you know, is a cold mistress.
I wonder if this means I don’t have the entrepreneurial gene that it takes to start your own business? As much as people don’t like having a boss telling them what to do and facing the music if they don’t get their work done, with writing it certainly helps. If I had a deadline and someone was expecting me to turn work in (it’s why grad school was so great), I would get some writing done. So if I don’t will myself to get me writing done, it won’t.
So instead of complaining about all of this, I’m going to go work on my motivation.
This post has been included in the Just Write Carnival. Make sure to check out other great writing-related posts.
The post was also included in the Carnival of Beginning Writers over at Distiller’s Corner.
[...] Coin presents Why is Writing So Hard? posted at The Writer’s Coin, saying, “Writing is hard, we all know that. But the [...]
But complaining is so much fun.
I’m in the same place you are. The thing that I’m using this week to motivate myself is the knowledge that a nonfiction project is coming my way soon, so if I don’t make more progress, my novel will completely languish.
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Some people say writing is so hard, but I believe the real reason writing seems so hard, is because, (WRITING IS SO UNFAIR).
You may have just written the best damn piece of fiction since Alien, or Jaws, but you still may not make it.
Sometimes it’s not what Know, but who you know. And it is quite sickening to me to see a well established author, write crap, but still sell a million copies on their name alone.
Such is life though.
Good luck.
Nice Snap & Camera Angle…