keep on writing!
Iβve 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 theyΒ βcanβt do itβ or arenβt 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 itβs tempting. I know youβre constantly seeing someone with more likes, faster updates, more fans, etc. than you, and I know itβs hard to ignore sometimes. But the truth is that every single writer works at a different pace. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Donβt 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 donβt get as many likes/notes/kudos/comments/etc. as you would like, donβt get discouraged! Thereβs 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 1900β²s VirginiaΒ 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 youβre posting in a space where young adults go to read fanfiction, the coffee shop will win every time.Β
And even if youβre writing a βcoffee shopβ story and youβre STILL not getting notes, donβt 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 writerβs block that you just canβt shake? Weβve 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 itβs not going to be used until the very end, if you have inspiration to write it before itβs needed, go for it! If that doesnβt work, and if the block persists, you may have to scrap the story altogether. If writing becomes more of a chore than a reward, itβs time to say goodbye to that project, at least for a while.
BUT never delete your writing!! Even if you think itβs 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 youβll 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.
Donβt ever give up!! I know itβs hard to follow through on a project, especially if youβre like me and donβt 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 theΒ βfunβ part after you put in all that hard work, and itβs so worth it at the end.
Everyone can learn how to write well.Β 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 millionΒ people who would be willing to give tips or edit your writing for you if you arenβt confident in it or would like some help. (If youβre ever in need of this person, I will do it. Just ask!)
If youβre not comfortable sharing your work with anyone quite yet, I have some resources that might help. Hemingway EditorΒ is a great tool that tells you how easy your story is to read, when youβre overusing adverbs or passive voice, and if you have any words that can be simplified. If youβre looking for an editor thatβs a little more in-depth, Slick WriteΒ is similar to Hemingway, but it has a few more features and digs a little deeper into your story. WordCounterΒ tells you how many words youβve 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 DictionaryΒ allows you to type in words, phrases, or sentences, and it will bring up a list of words related to what you type in. Itβs like a really specific thesaurus that helps if you just canβt think of the word you want, and it works greatΒ if youβre looking for something to replace an adverb (for example, if you type βran quicklyβ it might suggestΒ βsprintedβ).
Write about what you love. Sometimes, especially in fanfiction writing, there will be pressure to write in certain genres. And I wonβt lie, people who read fanfiction generally have certainΒ βtypesβ of stories that they like to read (angsty, modern, romance or theΒ βcoffee shopβ fics I mentioned earlier are popular favorites). But if thatβs not your thing and you want to write something else entirely--GO FOR IT! Iβm writing a fic set in 1920s Chicago right now because itβs 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 werenβt 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. Itβs worth it--I promise. It doesnβt matter what you write, but even if you have writerβs block, write something. It will help.
And last but certainly not least: I believe in you. No matter what youβre writing, whether youβve been writing for three months or twenty years, whether youβve 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 wasnβt 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 GETΒ βEM! <3















