keep on writing!
Iโve been writing for about ten years, and these are some things I've discovered and would like to share with you about motivation and perseverance. I've seen a lot of writers give up because they feel like theyย โcanโt do itโ or arenโt good enough, but the truth is that they ARE. They just get discouraged. So I'm here to tell you how to avoid this nastiness. :)
First of all, do not compare yourself to ANYONE. I know itโs tempting. I know youโre constantly seeing someone with more likes, faster updates, more fans, etc. than you, and I know itโs hard to ignore sometimes. But the truth is that every single writer works at a different pace. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Donโt try to make yourself work or write exactly like someone else, because it will most likely make your writing more forced and less effective.
If your works donโt get as many likes/notes/kudos/comments/etc. as you would like, donโt get discouraged! Thereโs a huge chance that you are simply not on the right platform for that particular piece of writing. A story about a cutesy first meeting in a coffee shop vs. a story about a rancher in 1900โฒs Virginiaย would get wildly different reactions from the same audience. Both stories might be amazing, and the one about Virginia might even be better quality writing, but chances are that if youโre posting in a space where young adults go to read fanfiction, the coffee shop will win every time.ย
And even if youโre writing a โcoffee shopโ story and youโre STILL not getting notes, donโt let it ruin your day! By no means does the amount of likes you get on a work determine how good it is. There is an audience out there that will LOVE your story. You just have to find them!
Have writerโs block that you just canโt shake? Weโve all been there. When I'm stuck on a scene or section of my writing, I like to skip to a different scene that holds more excitement for me. Even if itโs not going to be used until the very end, if you have inspiration to write it before itโs needed, go for it! If that doesnโt work, and if the block persists, you may have to scrap the story altogether. If writing becomes more of a chore than a reward, itโs time to say goodbye to that project, at least for a while.
BUT never delete your writing!! Even if you think itโs the worst thing you have ever typed, do not get rid of it. I have so many unfinished projects that I got disheartened about and just deleted, but I regretted it later when I wanted to revisit those ideas. Even if you think youโll never want to write it again, it might be helpful to use as something to look back on later and decide where you went wrong/what made you abandon that story so you can avoid the same mistakes in future writing.
Donโt ever give up!! I know itโs hard to follow through on a project, especially if youโre like me and donโt share with anyone (which means no feedback, helpful or otherwise), but keep plowing on! finishing the first draft is next to impossible, I know (the eight unfinished ones in my documents are screaming), but it gets SO MUCH EASIER from there! Editing is theย โfunโ part after you put in all that hard work, and itโs so worth it at the end.
Everyone can learn how to write well.ย Are some people born with some gene where words always come easily to them and they hardly have to work at it? Maybe. But the truth is that if you want to write, you can. And if you want to write well, you can learn how. No one is stopping you from reaching your full potential but yourself! There are a millionย people who would be willing to give tips or edit your writing for you if you arenโt confident in it or would like some help. (If youโre ever in need of this person, I will do it. Just ask!)
If youโre not comfortable sharing your work with anyone quite yet, I have some resources that might help. Hemingway Editorย is a great tool that tells you how easy your story is to read, when youโre overusing adverbs or passive voice, and if you have any words that can be simplified. If youโre looking for an editor thatโs a little more in-depth, Slick Writeย is similar to Hemingway, but it has a few more features and digs a little deeper into your story. WordCounterย tells you how many words youโve written, and it has a feature that reads your writing back to you, which I find incredibly helpful to find out where it sounds choppy or unnatural. Last but not least, the OneLook Reverse Dictionaryย allows you to type in words, phrases, or sentences, and it will bring up a list of words related to what you type in. Itโs like a really specific thesaurus that helps if you just canโt think of the word you want, and it works greatย if youโre looking for something to replace an adverb (for example, if you type โran quicklyโ it might suggestย โsprintedโ).
Write about what you love. Sometimes, especially in fanfiction writing, there will be pressure to write in certain genres. And I wonโt lie, people who read fanfiction generally have certainย โtypesโ of stories that they like to read (angsty, modern, romance or theย โcoffee shopโ fics I mentioned earlier are popular favorites). But if thatโs not your thing and you want to write something else entirely--GO FOR IT! Iโm writing a fic set in 1920s Chicago right now because itโs what I love writing. DO YOUR THING.
Set aside time each day to write. Writing is just like a sport or pretty much anything else: practice makes perfect. Stephen King and J.K. Rowling werenโt born great writers, and their works look nothing like their first drafts. If you want a great story, work on it whenever you can to make it stronger. Itโs worth it--I promise. It doesnโt matter what you write, but even if you have writerโs block, write something. It will help.
And last but certainly not least: I believe in you. No matter what youโre writing, whether youโve been writing for three months or twenty years, whether youโve published six novels or have nothing but saved documents, you can do this. I have complete faith that with dedication, hard work, and love of your work, you can write anything. I hope this wasnโt a huge waste of your time, and feel free to leave me a message if this was helpful or if you think I missed anything. GO GETย โEM! <3














