#blank page
Text
WHY IS WRITING IS SO FUCKING HARD?
Ten types of fuckery that stop you from writing the thing:
1. Imposter syndrome
You think you're not good enough or everyone else is better than you and you're just winging it AKA ye olde imposter syndrome bullshit. Yeah nah you're fine. No really, you're exactly where you need to be right now, and you'll keep getting better and better so long as you don't stop. Chances are, if you're filled with doubt about your abilities it means you've actually improved to the point where you can really start to understand what makes good writing. It means you know where you wanna end up and goshdarn it you're gonna get there.
Read this: 4 tips to kick imposter syndrome in the face and also genitals
And also this: How to silence the inner critic
2. Fear of rejection and/or failure
Yeah, us too. It fuckin sucks. BUT. Not all rejections are equal. And rejection is a necessary part of the process. Sometimes it takes a rejection to realise that a story isn't ready. Sometimes a rejection is entirely subjective and has ZERO reflection on the quality of your work. But shying away from the very idea of possibly maybe hypothetically getting rejected is only going to hold you back from even trying. And knowing why you got rejected and how to learn from it is one of the most valuable writing skills.
Read this: The different types of rejection (and how to deal with 'em)
Then read this: How to cope with rejection
And also this: Writing lessons from Groundhog Day
3. Not enough planning / too much planning
Leaping into a new story with nothing but a glimmer of an idea is exciting as heck (and can sometimes be a great way to begin) but at some point you're gonna need some sort of outline or plan to keep you on track. HOWEVER. Planning your story to within an inch of its life can also sometimes be a hindrance - leaving you stuck in the hypothetical stage of the process where your story doesn't quite exist yet (and therefore avoiding the prospect of it sucking). The sweet spot is in the middle. Having just enough of a plan to know where tf you're going, but enough freedom and flexibility to let the story lead the way...
Read this: Planning vs pantsing
Then read this: Five plotting techniques
And also this: The perils of overplanning
4. Your WIP just isn't working
Sometimes things just fall flat. Sometimes you work on the same story for yeeeeears and then it just kinda... dies. Sometimes you have the best plans (see above) and the best intentions and things still don't work out. Sometimes it's just time to move on. And sometimes it's not! Sometimes a story can be revived, fixed or changed. Sometimes you just need time. Sometimes YOU'RE the one that's changed and this isn't the story you need to be writing right now. Many variables. Muchly personal. Read the things below for more advice cos this is a big question:
Read this: What to do when your WIP isn't working
And also this: Give it space - how to grow a story in your head
Or how about this? Editing 101
5. You keep deprioritising it
Ah the irony of writing being the thing you love/want to do most of all AND YET the thing you procrastinate over and avoid and shove to the very bottom of your to-do list all the freakin' time. Maybe it's the comodification of art destroying our freedom to create without pressure. Maybe it's late capitalism sucking up all our available time and energy. Maybe it's a lack of self-belief subconsciously telling us our 'little hobby' doesn't really matter. Maybe it's maybelline. Whatever it is, you have the power to reclaim and revalue your writing. To say, "I'm a fucking writer, goddamnit!" and mean it. To ringfence your creative time so nothing and nobody gets to interrupt it. To do that thing you love.
Read this: Prioritise your writing
Read this: How to write in 30 second bursts
6. Shiny Thing Syndrome
You know that feeling when you're just getting stuck into a writing project and then — SQUIRREL! — you get distracted by another, better, more shiny writing project? Or maybe you're deep in the editing phase and your current WIP just isn't feeling very shiny at all and pretty much ANYTHING seems more exciting? Or you simply can't decide which of the many squirrelly writing ideas to actually start? You, fine writerperson, may be suffering from Shiny Thing Syndrome (STS). But fear not! There are a few ways to combat it, depending on the cause, and most of them involve embracing the squirrel-brain and injecting a bit of fun into your writing, like so:
Read this: Shiny thing syndrome - a writer's malady
Aaaand read this: Get excited about your writing again
And also this: Write like a kid
7. Perfectionism/self-sabotage
Look. Writing is scary as shit. What if someone READS it? What if they don't like it? What if they see into your soul and gain a deeper understanding of you through your words? Writing your truth, being vulnerable, smearing your heart juice all over the page? No thank you. But also, that's where the good shit is, so actually yes please. Just make sure you smear responsibly. And rest assured, even the most 'successful' and experienced writers ALSO feel like this sometimes, so you're in good company. It's just part of the art, bruh.
Read this: Why writing is scary (and why that's a good thing)
Read this: Beginning a story - what stops us starting?
And also this: Get out of your own way
8. The dreaded blank page
Oh godddd the blank page. It should be an exciting palimseset of possibility but is somehow also the most terrifying thing known to humankind. You wanna write something but where to start? HOW to start? You type that first line and immediately delete it. You watch the cursor blinking at you—taunting you—until you just give up and shut your laptop again. It's probably tied up with a bunch of things we've already covered so far: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, fear of failure, maybe a lack of planning or faith in your story or whatever. But it doesn't have to be this way. A blank page IS exciting and full of possibility. We just have to get over ourselves and learn to embrace the unknown...
Read this: Don't fear the blank page
And also this: The moaning method
9. Not enough time/energy/motivation/gnuuuughh
Dude, same x 1000. But you don't have to get up at 5am, do hot yoga, drink a kale smoothie and write a thousand words before sunrise to be a Proper Writer. You don't even have to write every day. But what you can do is hack your writing brain and figure out when, where, how, and why you write most effectively. Then tweak your schedule, your habits, and your attitude to ensure you're making the most of your time. Productivity is a big ol' lie but finding the secret to getting in your own personal writing zone is actual MAGIC.
Read this: Maximise your writing time
And also this: Get in the writing zone
And also unto this: The Writers' HQ Guide to Productivity
10. You're just fucken stuck
Got the writing morbs? In need of some literary sudafed? Stuck as a pig in a poke? Writing is a whole puzzle of a process—and to be honest that's what makes it so fun and exciting and addictive, because your writing brain is hardwired to both create AND solve the wordy puzzles within your story. Sometimes the answer is time. Sometimes it's a second opinion or a fresh eye. Sometimes a totally different approach or just a hefty kick up the bum. But whatever the problem, there IS a solution. You just gotta keep going and trust that you'll find it...
Read this: Troubleshoot your writing - why are you stuck?
And also this: Break through the writing blockage
And also also this: Write yourself into a pit (and then dig your way out again)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alright, that's it for today. Now go write, you flithy animals.
(And if we missed anything, stick a question in our ask box or check out the rest of our shit here)
#writing#writing advice#writers of tumblr#writeblr#writing community#writers community#writing life#creative writing#national novel writing month#nanowrimo#nanowrimo 2022#imposter syndrome#perfectionism#writer's block#writers block#writer things#procrastination#productivity#writer problems#blank page#the blank page#WIP#pantser#editing#plotting
8K notes
·
View notes
Text
The first word is the hardest
Your journey as a writer starts with just a single word!
Thinking about writing doesn't get words on a page. You can plot and plan in your head forever, but it's that first word on a blank page that will finally get you started on your writing journey.
#writers#creative writing#writing#writing community#writers of tumblr#creative writers#writeblr#writerblr#writing inspiration#writing tips#writblr#writing advice#writers and poets#writing journey#just write#just write it#blank page#writers block#beat writers block#let's write#quick writing tips#creative writing tips#writing tip#writing tips and tricks
273 notes
·
View notes
Photo
The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
#the muppet show#the muppets#muppet news flash#muppet newsman#news#blank page#muppet#muppets#jim henson#gif#muppet gif#muppets gif#gifs of puppets
91 notes
·
View notes
Photo
STUCK
by Tolga B
#tentacles#fhtagn#tolga b#sketchbook#stuck#paralysed#blank page#creature#monster#horror#neurosis#paranoia#stress#inked#lineart#fhtagnnn
381 notes
·
View notes
Text
The possibilities of a blank journal page...
50 notes
·
View notes
Text
@ alexandrajf
See more books.
107 notes
·
View notes
Text
Good idea.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
Baz #26 - Blank-Out
Written by: Forrest Langley
Art by: Mary Langley
56 notes
·
View notes
Text
Blank page syndrome
There was nothing
in the beginning,
a heartbreak like a pen
bleeds only red
as the words only began to set,
there was never any rest.
There would be complications,
words rehearsed like a curse
so no one would see
the perfect melody.
Perhaps it could be done
through a story or a fantasy of pleas
but never through mishaps or feelings.
Perchance there was one
maybe even two or three
though words has many,
no one can ever be that perfect.
so the page remains a bare canvas
as though waiting for a friend.
But in the end,
if there would ever be an end,
there would still be a blank page
waiting for some change
And no one would find it strange
as they stare at the blank page.
#poetry#writing#new poets society#daily poem#poets on tumblr#title#female poets#orginal poem#poems and poetry#poems and quotes#poetry blog#blank page#poetic stories#poeticstories
37 notes
·
View notes
Text
reminder that yami canonically might be a good artist
34 notes
·
View notes
Text
I'm thinking of snow ... I'm thinking of 'that scene' in Titanic as they look out over the ocean, not that I've ever sat through the film ... I'm thinking of blank pages, the ones that hope for something profound to be written on them, but end up with yet another to do list that'll curl up and get lost with all the others ... I used to use post it notes, stick them all along the bannister figuring that I'd grab one on my way up or down and actually do what was written on it ... I'm thinking of the theatre and sending little white planes down into the Circle seats ... I'm thinking of all the notebooks I keep buying, whilst continuing to rip corners off envelopes to scribble something important on ... I'm thinking of snow on another Tuesday in Tuesdayville ...
#musings#tuesday#Tuesdayville#snow#blank page#to do list#titanic#paper#notebook#dead leaves#autumn colors#photographers on tumblr#original photography on tumblr#naturephotography#humour
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
Just sat down, opened my laptop, put on some lovely fantasy music in the background, got ready to write down something - anything - for my fantasy novel project as I've been feeling motivated and inspired to pick it back up lately... YET I CAN'T WRITE A THING.
UGH I hate writer's block... I hate my overthinking mind which tells me I haven't prepared enough to be able to write or wanting to ONLY start by the begining and not just make some sort of advancement...
I'll just close my laptop again and go back to daydreaming about my story - cause that's the only thing I'm able to do with it apparently lmao
#aspiring writer#english#aspiring author#escaping reality#thoughts#my thoughts#writers block#blank page#i cant function#i cant write#i just want to write#where is motivation#where is inspiration#daydream#immersive daydreaming
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
blank
nothing comes to mind,
pen hovers over paper
with a rhythmic dance
#writing#poetry#original poem#literally me#poem#writeblr#thoughts#haiku#blank page#art block#creative block#creative writing#poet#short poetry#poems#poems and poetry#poems on tumblr#poets on tumblr#writers and poets
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Logan Sargeant is a total mystety
When they raced in the states there was some backstory, but content with him and about him, nada
8 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
katiaclicks
k a t i a c l i c k s
ask-opnih
LETS FUCKIN GOOO
quail-in-red
Twenty Years Ago
fadingfashionseternalstyle
Fading Fashions, Eternal Style
pressenda2020
Unbetitelt