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Overcoming 3 obstacles to writing success
I can hear you now: “One obstacle? Two? Three? I have way more obstacles than that keeping me from succeeding as a writer!”
Maybe, but I would guess that if you drilled down deep enough, you’ll find that each has at least some connection to one of the following.
You are either
- Too comfortable to challenge yourself — the “This is what I do best so that’s what I’m sticking with!” excuse.
- Too afraid to try something new — the “What if I fail? I’ll make a fool of myself!” defense, or
- Too negative about the outcome — the “No one will want to hire me/publish me/read my work so why bother?” rationale
So taking each obstacle in turn, here are some suggestions for how to go over, around or through each one.
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The “Too Comfortable” Obstacle
So far you’ve done pretty well in your writing life and you don’t see any need to rock the boat. And it’s true that exploring a new type of writing can be a little scary since it brings up the prospect of failure.
Far easier to stay with what you do and do well, writing what is accepted by friends, editors and publishers and your reading public.
Why venture into the unknown?
For starters, if this is how you make your living—for example, writing articles for magazines or newspapers—there is always the chance that you could be pink-slipped and find yourself without a viable form of income. That’s what happened to me when the recession hit and my freelance writing money went from a steady stream to nary a trickle.
Since writing is what I do, I had to scramble to find a new market, which turned out to be the very lucrative content writing one. But it took a while to get it up to speed, which wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t allowed myself to get too comfortable as a magazine writer.
The same applies if you write books, short stories or creative non-fiction. While it’s good to have an established platform meaning that your readers know what to expect from a piece of writing with your byline on it, you should always be pushing your boundaries a bit and exploring new areas.
Your current followers may enjoy the change while new-to-you readers might decide to check out the rest of your work.
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The “Too Afraid” Obstacle
No one likes failure. That’s a given.
But instead of allowing your fear of failure to hold you back, why don’t you look at it as an opportunity to try something different?
After all, this isn’t brain surgery. What’s the worst that can happen if you explore poetry and learn you really stink at it? You’ve spent a few hours or days pushing your creativity in a new direction—that’s all!
Also, even if you decide not to pursue this alternate pathway, you may still benefit by integrating some of what you have learned in the process in your preferred type of writing. For example, writing poetry can increase your awareness of rhythm while writing about nature can sharpen your attentiveness to detail—both easily transferable skills to other types of writing.
If it’s a different topic you’re exploring—climate change when you’ve been writing home décor pieces—you may find it so interesting that you decide to continue to research the subject. This can lead you into an entirely different direction, or, at the very least, add to your store of knowledge. And that’s never a bad thing for a writer!
Sometimes, however, the fear isn’t about trying something new but about “going into the dark”—exploring those past events, emotions or challenges that you had tucked away in your writer’s mind because you weren’t ready to bring them into the light via your writing.
After my mother died in 2005, it took me a long time to write about the actual loss. But I knew that for me, the healing process required that I deal with it, as I have dealt with so many other events, through my writing.
So I wrote a lot of short stories about loss and love and healing and letting go. And eventually, I was able to write the real story in my essay, “Last Words” that appeared in St. Anthony Messenger this past May.
Often, what we are most afraid of facing can be faced when we arm ourselves with our writing shield.
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The “Too Negative” Obstacle
Do you find yourself rationalizing your lack of writing success by blaming it on the industry, the readers or the odds in general?
And do you use that rationale as an excuse for giving up?
You may think you’re being realistic but really, you’re just being negative. And negativity is a great way to get out trying again when you fail, trying harder when your first attempt is rejected or just trying at all.
I’m not saying that a positive attitude will automatically result in success. You have to do the work as well—continually develop yourself as a writer, learn about your craft and understand the business side of the writing business. But I can promise you that having your default set to “it won’t happen for me” is going to increase the odds of it not happening for you.
Not sure if you’re confronted by a negativity obstacle? Listen to what you say to others and to yourself. As writers, we know how powerful words are, but we so rarely listen to what we are saying and thinking! Where our attention goes, energy flows, and our thoughts and words direct our attention.
Predicting failure is a surefire way to guarantee failure. Better to spend your time and energy focusing on positive outcomes and doing everything you can to make them come true.
The reality is that throughout your writing life you will undoubtedly face one or more of these obstacles. It’s up to you to figure out which one you’re dealing with and then take action to get that obstacle out of your way so you can continue your writing journey.
Want more advice? My award-winning RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR WRITERS is chockfull of ways to bust outta your writing rut!
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The post Tuesday’s Tips — 3 Obstacles to Writing Success appeared first on The Writer's Place.