The Reason You are Writing
Have you ever felt the crushing weight of a blank page? This is something I know I have. However, with the experience I have, authoring several books, I know I can help to overcome this overwhelming experience. You can find more about purchasing them by clicking here. Let me take you on a common journey. Imagine yourself a writer who wants to turn the idea in your head into a book.
So, it has finally happened. You want to write your New York Times bestseller. Nothing can stop you now, and in the next few months, you will have your fifteen minutes of fame. You have told all your friends, and they are very excited for you. You step in front of the computer.
Then it hits you. The blank screen staring back at you, as if it had eyes which can sense your fears. You type a sentence, examine it, then quickly delete it. After a few minutes, you lumber on to create your first paragraph. You read it back to you, wondering if it is any good.
Then you take a quick glance at your favorite book and feel mortified. Compared to it, you suddenly feel as if your writing is fodder. Perhaps it will click soon, as if the apprehensions will disappear as time goes on. So, you get done with the first page, reading it over several times and are certain it is top-notch work. “Perhaps I will show this to my family,” you think to yourself.
Once they see it, they are over the moon with support, and suddenly you feel as if your writing will usher in world peace. Your wife has a supportive glance on her face and kisses you on the cheek. Then, when you leave the room, you overhear them having a conversation about their true feelings towards your work. “What garbage! He thinks he’s a writer!” you hear your brother scoff.
“We have to be supportive, so I don’t want you to mention this to him. You got it?” Your wife says in an upset tone.
The mood is somber, and whispers of betrayal touch your heart, ripping it out with a knife. You think to yourself, “what do they know? They wouldn’t know great writing if it fell on top of them. I know this is great stuff and it will be wonderful. I just have to show them all!”
So, you prepare your first chapter, confidently posting it online for everyone to see. Then the worst thing happens. Nothing! No one has responded. Perhaps Facebook is preventing your post from reaching everyone. Taking a deep breath, you look at your stats, and sure enough, there are only 6 people who got it. Perhaps it will be enough. After all, the six people who saw it are better than nobody.
The next day, your blank post with no response, stares back at you. It is as if all your friends have turned against you. In desperation, you place it in your reading group to find out what is wrong. Responses trickle in like the first droplets of a thunderstorm. Hearing their relentless criticism, you immediately come to know that what you have written is garbage. What’s worse is that you made this public online for everyone to see. The embarrassment is as though it were pressing down to create 1000 diamonds. The emotional stress proves to be too much as you close your word processer, never to return to your unfinished project.
Does this sound familiar? It is all too common truth in the journey of a writer. The unfiltered reality settling on you like the setting sun. Writing is hard. It is one of the toughest experiences you can imagine. What makes matters worse is when substandard authors get nods to publish their work, but the light of success never finds you.
So, this brings us to the first step in the writing process. It involves introspection and facing harsh truths about yourself. Why are you writing a story? Are you looking to be famous and sell millions of copies? Perhaps speaking to people about your life story, and even signing a movie deal, will cause your fame to skyrocket.
However, if this is what you have in mind, unless you have established connections to an agent, have networked talent to help you edit and create magnificent art, have an amazingly talented knowledge of marketing, or know a fantastic publicist, this dream is a little more than the fantasy you set out to create. Most authors struggle to break even in sales, selling only a few books despite their talent and the small amount of money they invest in the project.
Common still are the little-known authors who struggle like I did to sell a single copy. It seems like the market is rigged against them. It is sad, but true. If writing was the path to the yellow brick road, paved with gold, then many would seek it to find their niche in society.
With this being said, you can still write and satisfy your inner mojo and the readers you set out to write for. The first step is to realize why you are writing. Jot down some ideas about why this story in your mind is important to you.
With me, it wasn’t ever about the money. It was about something personal, deep inside of me, that had to speak to the world. A story which still tingles my consciousness like a feather in the wind. My beloved pets. I wanted a way to protect their legacy because life so cruelly takes them from us. To me, this is the reason I write. Immortalizing them on the pages within my book gives them a way to make their legacy last forever.
What’s your passion? Is your story special enough to pull you through some of the hardest struggles of your journey within? If so, then you are ready to begin. Let’s start by listing the reasons you need to do this. They will help remind you of the most important thing you want to accomplish. Perhaps it is a passing idea you cannot get out of your mind. You could have knowledge to share, which will help others. Knowing why you write will be crucial in keeping your path squarely on the road ahead.
The second thing you want to realize is the journey will be tough and filled with criticism. But believe it or not, this negative feedback is your ticket to helping you get to the next level. One does not start out great, many have to begin by climbing the ladder of improvement. Honest criticism can help to know what you are doing wrong so you can take it to implement improving suggestions to get better. This can be harsh, even for the most experienced writers. But your reason for writing can weather the storm, leaving behind the toughest shell hard enough to resist even the greatest disappointments.
The next thing you have to do is adjust your expectations. Perhaps the New York Times Best Seller List is too high of a lofty goal. Put it aside and realize what would be a reachable goal. Then go for it. Don’t stop. Whatever you do, try not to become discouraged. It happens and writer’s block is real. Tell your friends and family what you are doing so they can help encourage you. They will be your support when things get the darkest.
After you take the first steps of this notoriously hard, but incredibly worthwhile experience, you feel greater confidence to replace skepticism. Having confidence is like following a road map. You will find it easier to sift through the most important feedback because you will know where you are going. One thing I would suggest is to make notes of your progress, writing them down on your journey. They will show as proof of your improvement. Never delete notes, as you can always come back to using them later on.
Let me share with you a story which helped me. I work as a customer representative at Discover. My colleagues have always been staunch supporters of my work, especially my writing. It is like throwing gasoline into a match when I mention what I love to do. One day, a while back, I agreed to show my completed book to one of my coworkers, hoping at the best I would get a positive review. As the months wore on, I had forgotten about this. Then one day, my colleague stopped me in the hall, pulling out the wrinkled well-read book I recognized as mine.
With tears in her eyes, she said, “I have been meaning to tell you how much I appreciated the wonderful story you wrote. A week ago, my husband went to get screened for cancer. While I was in the waiting room, I read your book.” She wipes a tear from her eye, then stares at the book, holding it with a tremor in her hand.
“I read the part about how the young girl, Gracie, was at her darkest low. She spoke of how life had failed her and how she was prepared to face death, preferring it to the horrible life she now experiences. When she meets a store owner, who takes her burden, inviting her to stay with her in his spare apartment. When I read this chapter, I realized there are still good people in the world.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed my story. How’s your husband doing?”
With more tears in her eyes lowering her head, she says, “my life is upside down and his cancer is irreversible. We have searched for specialists over the past several months. It can be very draining. After all this hardship, I had lost hope that good things still happen. But your story, with this girl who had lost everything, finding her redemption, revived my faith in humanity. Thank you so much!”
I was so emotionally affected by the situation that I cried along with her. My story, the one which I labored over, rewriting it several times to get it the best I could, lifted her spirits while she waited for the news of her husband. While she was reading, it provided a respite for her.
What is your reason for writing? Perhaps you will not move the world with it, but you could move someone’s heart. Somewhere out there waits for the person who you touch so deeply, you could motivate them. Your story deserves to be told. You just have to get the courage to write it.
In conclusion, your story, if written for the correct reasons, can become a powerful tool which will help you. Writing can be an open door to your heart, healing it from trauma, also providing a way to reach out to others. I know from experience, after getting my first negative review, I couldn’t stomach my writing, but I refused to stop. So, there’s no going back. Don’t give up!
