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Wednesday, June 3, 2020

The Insecure Writer And a Lack of Discipline



Today is June's (belated) contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.

What makes me an Insecure Writer this month?

The fact that if it wasn't for other writers commenting on my blog, I would never have remembered it was ISWG post day. Arg.....!

I have more time for writing-related things these days, especially what with COVID-19 keeping me around the house. And yet, I still managed to forget about this post. Heck, I'm doing a poor job of posting on this blog in general. My only excuse is that progress on my current WIP is slow enough that I feel guilty about working on anything related to writing other than my WIP. 

Photo courtesy of VisualHunt

If I expect my writing career to go anywhere, I'll have to learn how to spend my writing time more wisely, because the demands on my time will only mushroom once I publish my first story.



Optional June question: Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work? 

Perhaps some of you know this already, but I kind of hate writing. Seriously, I always have. It's why I didn't take up writing fiction until about ten years ago. Putting my thoughts down on paper has always been a struggle. Only after a chapter reaches a certain level of polish do I find the writing to be enjoyable. Ninety percent of the time, however, I'm beating my head against the keyboard. 

If that strikes you as depressing, I should point out that I enjoy telling stories, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to deliver a story that readers would like, no matter how long it takes. My hope is that my readers never pick up on the I-hate-the-writing part.


Take care everyone, and stay safe! 

ChemistKen


9 comments:

  1. But you did remember!
    The first draft is my least favorite. But once I hit revisions, I enjoy it. Like you, it's just getting it on paper is a struggle.

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  2. I really struggle with the first draft too. Here's something that is helping me get through my current one better. Before I start a chapter, I write some notes on the points of it. Then it seems a bit easier to write. Hope it helps.

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  3. Hey, you managed to get your post out there, so I'd say "win!" You sound a bit like my friend Dani. I lament to her how I hate editing and rewriting. She's all "but that's the fun part" and I'm all "nooooooo". If it weren't for my driving need to finish my series, I think I'd be just fine with sticking to first drafts. :)

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  4. I get it. We all have things about the process we don't like--even hate. You're not alone. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  5. Most of my events are gone, which opens some time, but I've only once worked on my own WIP in the past 3 months. Maybe I need to switch to some revisions instead.

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  6. I find that so funny!!! But what a great secret!!!
    Since the Covid hit, I've been all over the place with my writing. I have 4 different WIP's. Is that even possible? I doubt it. Time to concentrate on ONE WIP!

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  7. My spelling and my historical / etymological accuracy is way worse without spellcheck and my fact-checking resources. If not for those, my work would be full of mistakes.

    I suppose a second secret is that I often put something out of my mind once I check it, meaning if I was asked during a presentation or interview about a specific thing in one of my books, I probably wouldn't be able to recall the source or the details. I'd have to answer that "I know I checked it, but..."

    I enjoy writing. What I'm terrified of is interacting with readers in person.

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  8. A lot of writers don't work well with blogs. Maybe Twitter or FB are better choices?

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  9. Be a storyteller, that helps get the art of writing - going! Lovely blog and interesting feelings about depression-- go with the emotion in your writings. The best, Bobbie

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