Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can’t find you to comment back.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Remember, the question is optional!
December 1 question – In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?
eAt the moment, my main stress comes from how to start a new chapter or section.
Before I begin to write a new novel, I like to make sure I have an outline of what I want to write, and where it needs to appear in the context. This is where my delight comes – I find the plotting and ideas part of the process to be the most enjoyable, and is the part I relish most.
Writing the actual content stresses me!
I have an idea of what I (overall) want from the section I am writing. But I do struggle to get that idea and outcome onto paper – and this is what gives me most stress. How can I transform my thoughts into something that people want to read? Whatever is in my head has a habit of not coming out in print as I want it to!
Another thing that REALLY stresses me is not being good enough. I write novels, which takes up a big investment of time and effort. I worry that people won’t like my books, and therefore won’t read them. This results in a wasted 1-2 years of slogging out what I think is a reasonable novel. Any aspirations I have of being an author depend on people wanting to read my books – and this indeed causes a great deal of stress.
I understand your stress. I am so relieved when the first draft is completed. It’s such a load off. Happy IWSG day, CD.
I understand this, and write about it this month as well. Imposter syndrome is a real thing.
So I am beginning to realise, Bridgina. It’s good to have support such as within this group.
That’s a good stressor and not one I’ve read from other posts. Starting new chapters is a bigger deal than it sounds like because of the need for a hook at the end of the prior chapter, placement in time and geography for the new one. Great mention, CD!
Thankyou! I find that once I get started there’s no stopping me – it’s just that opening that can take weeks!
Imposter syndrome is The Worst Eperience for a writer, because it is self-reinforcing. In my experience the cycle goes something like this: “I don’t feel like a real writer. Real writer’s wouldn’t feel like this, therefore I must not be a real writer.” It’s all hogwash, of course. Anyone who writes is a real writer. Welcome to IWSG! I joined earlier this year, and so far it has been a wonderful experience.
Thanks John, and thanks for the words. I’ts good to know it’s not just me who has these thoughts. All the best.
Jami Gold has some great plotting worksheets on her website. You can download them directly for free.
As far as chapter breaks, when those don’t come naturally for me (usually more toward the middle of the story), I will type [chapter break?] at places that seem to be good spots. Then when I go through the document later, I doc-search the word ‘chapter,’ mouse over each one to count how many pages are in between that one and the last/next one (so I don’t end up with any tiny or huge chapters), and make a decision on where to put the final breaks.
That’s me! I hate the first draft. After that, it gets easier.
Welcome to the IWSG.
What stresses me is trying to arrange the words so that they sound like a real author wrote them. The first draft is easier for me because the words don’t have to make sense to anyone but me. Happy 2022!
CD,
That is such a tough spot to be in. All that stress has got to really put a damper on your creativity.
Have you considered practicing free writing to curb your own judgement while writing? It will likely feel like a huge waste of time to start. (as a production writer, I totally understand the frustration of writing something that I KNOW is never meant to see the light of day.) but once you get into it, suddenly the demons of “is this good enough” will vanish during your writing time… and you may find a few fabulous gems worth expanding on.
Another good technique is to find an excellent critique group. For me, having a deadline really helps me get words on the page, and knowing that the deadline doesn’t require “good” work as the critique group will provide constructive feedback and help me ensure my work will be the best it can be when it is completed is very freeing and can block the imposter gremlins.
I’ve been searching for a good critique group for a few months now and got tired of searching so am creating my own. If you are interested in joining, let me know.
My goal is to great a fantastic group of similar genre folks with clear guidelines on how to provide a critique sandwich so we can all lift one another up.