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- Nathan Englander: Write What You Know (Emotionally) “I think the most famous piece of writing advice that there is is “write what you know,” and I think it’s—honestly, I think it’s the best piece of advice there is, but I think it’s the most misunderstood, most mis-taught, most misinterpreted piece of advice that there is.
- Kazuo Ishiguro: Don’t Write What You Know. “”Write about what you know” is the most stupid thing I’ve heard. It encourages people to write a dull autobiography.
- Paula Fox: What Do You Know, Anyway? “There is a kind of central truth and if you get the central truth, and the motion of people, then the rest is implied.
- Ursula K. Le Guin: Write What You Know, But Remember You May Know Dragons. “As for “Write what you know,” I was regularly told this as a beginner. I think it’s a very good rule and have always obeyed it.
- Not Enough Time
- Fear
- Feeling Uninspired
- Creatively Blocked
- Lack of Focus
- Challenges Writers Face: Being Easily Distracted
- Staying Motivated
- Being Authentic
- Being Original
- Lack of Support from The People Around You
This is an excuse so many of us tell ourselves when it comes to doing anything. And writing is no exception. I don’t have time to work out. I don’t have time to start that business. And, I don’t have time to write a book. Here’s the truth – these are lieswe tell ourselves over and over again until we believe them. If you really want to do something...
One of the biggest challenges writers face is dealing with their own fear. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of criticism or rejection. A fear of not having anything worth saying. Or fear of being unoriginal. Maybe your greatest fear is that you’re actually a rockstar writer, and if you put your heart and soul into it you’ll get everything you ev...
There have been many mornings in my writing life where I’ve noticed a lack of inspiration. I haven’t been excited to write, and I haven’t felled compelledto write about anything. We allhave days like this. I don’t trust anyone who says they don’t. But what’s important in these moments is that you still show up at your desk, and choose to write. Tha...
For most of 2019, I felt creatively blocked. Everything I wrote felt forced. I didn’t feel like I was in flow with anything. And I struggled to sit down and write. I wrote 40,000 words of a new book, and didn’t end up publishing it. Because when I read it back, I just wasn’t happy. I knew I could do better, and I wasn’t prepared to settle for somet...
Another of the common challenges writers face is a lack of focus. And having too many ideas is one of the causes of this. You’re being pulled in so many directions, and you don’t know which way to go. Being someone with lots of ideas is a great thing. But that alone is not enough. You have to dosomething with those ideas. Tune in to your intuition,...
Distractions will come and go. Distractions like the internet, your kids screaming from the other room, or email notifications popping up on your phone. And as humans, it’s easy to allow ourselves to become distracted from what we’re currently doing. That’s why it’s important to limit those distractions as much as possible, and give ourselves the b...
When the no’skeep flying in, and your bank balance isn’t going up, it can be difficult to stay positive and remain motivated. When you don’t have success or accomplishments to fuel your momentum, the most powerful thing you can do is remember whyyou started. Why are you writing? Why do you want to be a writer? And whoare you writing for? Reconnecti...
Many of us struggle with the idea of being open and vulnerable – with strangers, with the people we love, and even with ourselves. And it’s not our fault. Because we live in a world that teaches us notto. We’re taught (especially men) that it’s weak to show our true emotions, and if we do, we leave ourselves open to be exploited or trampled over. B...
This is different from, and not be confused with, authenticity. But one of the greatest challenges writers (all artists) face is striving to maintain originality. How on earth do you do that when everything has already been done? The answer is, you don’t. Nothing is original. So don’t feel guilty using other books, films, music, paintings, poems, a...
Some of the challenges writers face can be solved easier than others. And a lack of support from the people in your life is one of the trickier challenges. Around the same time I started writing, I also started dating my partner Sam. It was something I shared with him early on, and – lucky for me – he was always supportive and encouraging of my wri...
Oct 16, 2019 · On the one hand, this hesitance on the part of writers to speak about the difficulty of what we do makes sense. Writers aren’t surgeons, and the hardships we face can, in the greater scheme of things, feel unimportant.
- Sarah Labrie
- Neglect everything else. It starts with a simple fact: If you’re not making the time to write, no other advice can help you. Which is probably why so many of the writers I talk to seem preoccupied with time-management.
- Beginnings matter. Everyone knows that the opening line is a crucial invitation, something that can make or break a reader’s interest in a book. But far less attention has been paid to the role first lines play for writers, leading them through the work’s dark, uncertain stages like a beacon.
- Follow the headlights. It doesn’t matter if you’re the kind of writer who plans meticulously: Give yourself some leeway in the early drafts. Throw out all your plans and assumptions, and make room to surprise yourself.
- Sound it out. Of course, all this is easier said than done. In the absence of a concrete plan, how to know when you’re headed in the right direction? For many writers I’ve spoken with, the answer seems to lie in the sound of the words.
May 9, 2023 · It can feel overwhelming, lonely and even trigger critical feelings about yourself. In today’s post, we’ll address the most common writing struggles with empowering strategies to move beyond the challenges and experience a breakthrough. Here goes! Struggle #1: No Time to Write.
Here are 21 of the biggest challenges writers face and their solutions. 1. Editing while writing. The problem: The temptation to go back to the previous day’s work and edit it until it is perfect is overwhelming.
People also ask
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In this post, we’ll explore the writing struggles and strategies of eight different authors, from romance novelist Tricia Goyer to teen nonfiction writer Shelby Abbot to children’s fantasy author S. D. Smith.
