It’s hard enough for writers to keep going in the pursuit of crafting the perfect story. When the people around us are not supportive, it can make us feel downright hopeless.
Sometimes when we attempt to explain what we’re trying to achieve it makes it worse. We’re belittled and patronized.
Aw, what a nice hobby!
Do you make any money from it?
Then why do you do it?
You do not have to explain yourself to these types of people. They are too scared to chase their own dreams and are projecting their fear onto you.
Haters gonna hate. Don’t waste your breath justifying yourself. Use their doubt to spur you on.
Then turn them into an annoying character in your next book.
Creating stories and books are long-term commitments. There is no instant gratification with writing except the initial rush of the first draft.
After that, it’s painstaking work. Writers don’t get a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor for weeks, months, or years after they begin a story.
That is why it’s important to reward yourself.
It’s easy to get discouraged when we put our hearts into something and don’t know when or if it will pay off. This is when we are in danger of slacking off or giving up entirely.
The best way to avoid this is to set goals and reward yourself when you meet them.
For example, set a word count or a date for the completion of the first draft of a story or novel.
When you reach your goal:
Buy yourself a gift. I run down to the drug store and buy a lipstick, a new pen, or a luxurious bath item.
Allow yourself a treat like your favorite ice cream or pastry from the local bakery.
Writers’ concentration and willpower are challenged like never before. Until recently, if a writer sat down to work, there was little to distract them except the chirping of birds or the din of the streets.
It was just the writer and the quill, and later, the typewriter.
Now we have phones, tablets, and computers bleeping off every few minutes.
Most of us don’t realize how damaging this is. Not only does it prevent us from entering the flow state, which is crucial to our creativity, it wastes our time. One text from a family member, one email, or one social media notification can completely derail you.
It may only seem like it takes a few minutes, but add all those interruptions up at the end of the day, and you may have lost an hour or more. Not only that, you risk being led down the rabbit hole of the internet.
Check one mention on Twitter or comment on Instagram, and before you know it, you’re scrolling away while your characters sit in the corner, tapping their foot, impatiently waiting for you to tell them what to do next.
Hey, it’s not your fault. All content, video, and social media were purposely designed by some of the best minds in the world to keep you on their pages or in their loop of pages.
Sometimes willpower isn’t enough, especially if we’re tired or feeling apprehensive about writing on a particular day.
Here are a few tips for Distraction-Free Writing in the Age of the Internet:
Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer, or better yet, turn off the router for your home completely (if no one in household objects).
Remove all social apps from your phone. Only check at a designated time through your browser.
Shut down your phone and tablet while writing.
If you need to receive calls in case of emergency, tell your close family and friends to use your phone number only.
Do not open your email in the morning. Wait till the end of your writing time to check and reply to email.
Use internet time as a reward to look forward to after you’ve met your writing goals.
When you do get on the internet, set a timer for the amount of time you spend there.
I used to think that the best way to get the most writing done was to sit and go on a non-stop writing binge until my eyeballs popped out and I collapsed.
Sometimes, when the muses are with us, this is how it must be done. However, this is not sustainable if we want to create a long-term daily writing routine.
I’ve been reading a book called Fast Focus by Damon
Zahariades. It’s a quick and painfully simple guide to avoid distraction. One
of the best things you can do is take breaks. Believe it or not, getting away
from your draft at intervals will increase your concentration, not break it.
Some people use the Pomodoro technique, which uses 25-minute intervals. For me, this is too often. Instead, I use 1-2 hour intervals, with a 20 minute to 30-minute break in between.
12 break time ideas for writers:
Do chores like laundry or dishes (yes, it’s actually relaxing and gives you time to daydream)
Meditate
Spend time with a pet
Make a meal or indulge in a beverage or chocolate
Exercise – burpees, yoga, a run around the block
Power nap
Listen to your favorite music or a podcast
Scroll through Pinterest to create an idea board for your WIP
Call a friend or family member for a chat (writers need to talk to real people too)
Watch a TED talk or other video
Journal or doodle
Go outside for a walk
Play a video game
I used to wake up, go straight for coffee without washing my face, and force myself to sit for at least 4 hours straight. By the time I was done, my brain was foggy, my back ached, and I was a grouch.
Since changing my routine, I’ve discovered that taking more breaks didn’t just make me feel more focused and productive, I also didn’t feel so mentally and physically drained at the end of the day.
As a creative person and one who’s plagued by existential questions, I get trapped into that circle of thinking if what I’m doing matters.
Am I just wasting my time and energy torturing nice people with my substandard prose?
I work with writers and for writers (and this applies to all creative people), and I think we all have that dream of becoming famous (even if you say you don’t, you wouldn’t mind it, would you?).
We all have that hope of changing the world with our work.
We want to be praised and validated.
We want to communicate on a deeper level.
We want to be admired, at least just a little bit, and be able to say “I told you so” to all the haters.
Most of all, we want to leave a legacy after our death.
But our dreams deflate each time we see the sheer numbers of other people who have the same exact dream as we do and are pursuing it more efficiently and more fervently.
They write better, market better, sell better.
We see other artists kicking ass out there, and we wonder how in the world they do it.
Maybe we don’t have the resources, the time, or the energy.
Maybe we don’t have the savvy or the persistence. Maybe we’re suffering from imposter syndrome.
It’s easy to get caught up in the race to the bestsellers list, but let me wrap my arm around your shoulders and guide you into my existential realm here.
Although contemplating our place in the ginormous, black Universe can make us feel insignificant and pointless at times, this simultaneously it frees us from our anguish.
Look at it this way…
You only have one life (as far as we know). If there is anything noble about it, it’s living in the pursuit of creating and appreciating beauty in all its forms. It’s one of the only redeeming qualities of our species.
Your one life is very short. You could spend it watching Netflix. Or you could live a life of passion and do what makes your soul sing.
You have to be yourself. If there’s one thing I learned about being happy in this life, it’s being true to who you are. If you only behave and do what you think you’re supposed to do instead of what you really want to do, you will be a miserable person. Guaranteed.
Your audience doesn’t matter all that much. Human beings are a very small, messy, and crude part of the universe. Having their mass approval is not necessarily anything special. There is much of existence beyond our little blue sphere that might marvel at your work if they ever got to experience it.
Creativity is a gift.In making something out of nothing, we can be the gods of our own little universes.
I hope you all found this comforting.
Happy Monday and Happy Creating!
–Christa
Do you ever wonder if what you’re creating matters?
How do you think your work fits into the Universe?
