Writing Alone
So you want to be a writer.
But it's difficult.
I get it. I'm not making fun, because I 150% get it.
Finding the time to do it is difficult enough even before adding in feelings of self-doubt and loneliness.
Maybe you don't have any writing friends. Maybe you DO, but they all live far away or have their own super busy lives that don't mesh with yours.
If you've ever done NaNoWriMo, you understand the true value of a strong writing community. The camaraderie, the readership, the companionship -- it's heady. It's like going from a world of black-and-white to technicolor ... and when it's gone it's like watching the last leaf fall from a tree and fly off in a chilly breeze.
Even those who are very self-motivated can find it difficult to maintain writing when it seems like you're spilling words out into the darkness.
I get it.
But there are solutions. And they don't involve moving to Canada or Florida to live closer to your writing friends. And they don't include waiting for VR technology to catch up to your imagination so that you can hang out digitally.
Writing Excuses
My favorite solution is a podcast called Writing Excuses. A friend recommended it a while back (Faith? It may have been you?), though at the time I wasn't in the right mindset to appreciate it.
Prepping for a recent road trip, I downloaded a dozen or so episodes and listened to them to pass the time.
It was technicolor, friends.
Here were people -- authors I know and love! -- talking about writing. They were passionate and courteous and skilled and blissfully concise.
Each episode was 15 minutes jam-packed with excellent advice, examples, and anecdotes and even though I wasn't actively participating, I felt less alone by the time it was done.
If you're feeling alone or tired or even just a smidgeon bummed out by the feeling that your writing doesn't matter ... maybe give the podcast a try. See if you feel a little brighter at the end of an episode or two.
You
What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks you use to keep the fire stoked when the monochrome tendrils of winter doubt creep in?
So you want to be a writer.
But it's difficult.
I get it. I'm not making fun, because I 150% get it.
Finding the time to do it is difficult enough even before adding in feelings of self-doubt and loneliness.
Maybe you don't have any writing friends. Maybe you DO, but they all live far away or have their own super busy lives that don't mesh with yours.
If you've ever done NaNoWriMo, you understand the true value of a strong writing community. The camaraderie, the readership, the companionship -- it's heady. It's like going from a world of black-and-white to technicolor ... and when it's gone it's like watching the last leaf fall from a tree and fly off in a chilly breeze.
Even those who are very self-motivated can find it difficult to maintain writing when it seems like you're spilling words out into the darkness.
I get it.
But there are solutions. And they don't involve moving to Canada or Florida to live closer to your writing friends. And they don't include waiting for VR technology to catch up to your imagination so that you can hang out digitally.
Writing Excuses
My favorite solution is a podcast called Writing Excuses. A friend recommended it a while back (Faith? It may have been you?), though at the time I wasn't in the right mindset to appreciate it.
Prepping for a recent road trip, I downloaded a dozen or so episodes and listened to them to pass the time.
It was technicolor, friends.
Here were people -- authors I know and love! -- talking about writing. They were passionate and courteous and skilled and blissfully concise.
Each episode was 15 minutes jam-packed with excellent advice, examples, and anecdotes and even though I wasn't actively participating, I felt less alone by the time it was done.
If you're feeling alone or tired or even just a smidgeon bummed out by the feeling that your writing doesn't matter ... maybe give the podcast a try. See if you feel a little brighter at the end of an episode or two.
You
What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks you use to keep the fire stoked when the monochrome tendrils of winter doubt creep in?
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