11 Writerly Fears

It’s October! That time of the year again where the fog is creeping up the hills and it’s getting dark earlier and earlier, day-by-day. When it comes to horror stories, readers may wonder what on earth writers may be afraid of. After all, don’t they write villains who make your skin crawl or stories that keep you up at night? Turns out, there’s quite a few things that writers are afraid of from forgetting to back up a story right before the computer crashes to 1-star book reviews. *shudders* Writers, ye be warned.

Caution: extreme irony. This post is not meant to be taken 100% seriously.

11) Paper cuts.

It’s not just red ink that can end up on manuscripts. Papercuts are deadly occurrences when your story strikes back that can leave your fingers stinging for days. The pen is mightier than the sword, especially when you use that pen to write, cut yourself on the soft paper, get some obscure infection, and die. Use antibiotics, people! Hand sanitizer stains are just as acceptable as coffee stains on your manuscript since they both ward of death—death to your body and death to your creativity.

10) Writer’s block

My first encounter with trouble writing came in the form of writer’s block, and it still comes and goes. For an entire summer, I didn’t know where I was going with my stories. This past summer, I didn’t know which story I would pick next because I was enjoying my current one so much. And while I may not be recovering from writer’s block at the moment, there may be a time when I get stuck again. And again.

And again.

But that’s when you keep going and keep writing. And pray you don’t overheat your computer on your lap or fry it by plugging it into the wall in some foreign country.

9) Losing your writing.

Whether it’s to a house fire, a crashed computer, or an unsaved file, losing a bit of your writing can be devastating. All that hard work you put into a story, hours, months, years just gone. Remember to backup, backup, backup. Use a thumb drive or a backup hard drive or both. Open a safety deposit box to store all your completed manuscripts or put it on the cloud.

I’m paranoid that people may even steal my stories (which is silly considering how rough some are), so I shred every scrap instead of simply throwing it away. Perhaps it’s ridiculous, but yes, I would be that person to run back into the house to save my stories. Last year when our apartment complex caught fire, I grabbed my backup hard drive.

8) Lack of coffee/tea/caffeine.

It’s a tragedy when the pantry is all out of your favorite beverage or snack. How else are you supposed to bribe motivate yourself to keep writing? I haven’t actually run into this problem yet, but if I were somehow wake up one morning without my favorite tea or coffee grounds available, I would probably walk around in a daze like a zombie. Or just curl up in bed and accomplish nothing like a slug. But where’s the fun in that? Solution: coffee keeps the zombie apocalypse at bay!

7) Getting your book made into a movie.

I’m just kidding. All writers dream of seeing their pretty little words made into a film that cuts out half of the important details, messes up your favorite plot twists, and butchers the characters and their development. Your welcome. But seriously, I still dream of a Lord of the Rings quality version of my story in film…

6) Dead characters.

Particularly the ones you hold dear. Oh, I like this character. He/she could be my best friend. What a beautiful line. Wait… did he just die? *insert melodramatic Darth Vader* NOOOOOO!

Seriously though, don’t get attached. Just don’t do it. Fine, you can get attached to characters, but be prepared to say goodbye.

In a way, it’s worse if you’re a writer, knowing you’re going to kill somebody off. Or they just surprise you and randomly die. The anticipation of such scenes is awful, and I always hate myself for writing them. How could I be so cruel to my characters and my readers? It’s just the story, right?

5) People not reading your story.

Perhaps another fear of writers is shouting into the void. Hello? Is it echoing in here, or is it just me? Sometimes I wonder if anybody will ever read my stories or my blog posts. But then I get a nice little comment, or somebody will say something to me in person about some of my work.

4) People reading your story.

No, seriously. It may seem contradictory, but it’s true. Correction: as I writer, I’m afraid of negative feedback, which gets overanalyzed by my brain. What if readers hate my story? Or worse, what if they sort of liked it, but it didn’t live up to its full potential? What if readers want to hunt me down and try to burn me at the stake? Okay, so it’s a little overdramatic, but sometimes, the mere idea of feedback becomes dreadful. This is why querying literary agents is scary. And reading in front of audiences. And just daring to write at all.

3) Not writing.

And even if you are in the mood to write, there’s never enough time. People demand your attention when you’re in the zone, and eventually you’re going to die, maybe with that one last story you were planning on writing but never got a chance to. Thanks a lot, death.

But even if I happen to live a long, healthy life, I might not get the chance to write that one story. Or maybe I’ll never have the courage to do so. Or the knowledge of the subject. Or maybe I’ll get some sort of amnesia that prevents me from ever finishing a story.

2) Meeting your characters.

Wait, I thought this would be exciting? Well, yes and no. If you’re like me and have a tendency to write fantasy, complete with heroes and villains, meeting half your characters might end up looking something like Inkheart. It’s been ages since I read the book, but I remember the scene from the movie where Fenoglio, the author within the story, is held at knifepoint by the characters read out of his own book. But Fenoglio, being the ecstatic writer he is, instead of being intimidated exclaims, “Look, it’s Basta!”

I’d like to think that meeting my own characters would be a little frightening. Then again, I could be excited. The world may never know…

1) Having a #1 fan.  

Anybody who’s read the Stephen King novel Misery, seen the movie, or heard of it know’s what I’m talking about. Not just some happy-go-lucky fan, Annie Wilkes is more like a stalker who kidnaps an author and forces him to write another book. If there’s anything scarier than bad book reviews or rejection letters, it’s obsessive fans who are determined to get their happy endings even if it means the writer never gets one.

But despite all our fears, we writers must get out there and write. How else are we supposed to deal with this frightening world? And by get out there, it’s totally fine to write away in the safety of your room. Or near safety. You never know when some natural disaster may strike…

***

Literary references: J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart, and Stephen King’s Misery.

Let’s chat! Writers, what’s your biggest writing fear? How would you rank your fears? Have there ever been any instances where your worst writing fear came true?

7 Steps to Keep Writing When You Feel Like Giving Up

We all have those moments when we get bored with our current project, our eyes get tired, or we just have the intensifying urge to scream and throw the computer out the window. (Please tell me I’m not the only one.) Sometimes we reach a point—whether or not it’s burnout—when we just want to quit writing. It’s hard work. One word after another. And it seems like all the ideas are too hard, too unoriginal, too dry.

I’m not just talking about writer’s block. Maybe it can be the cause or the result, but it has many terms. For students, it’s known as senioritis. For postgrad students like my dad, it’s known as college-brain. I like to say my brain is tired. Sometimes I reach the point where I say dumb stuff like “I can’t English.”

Whatever the reason, we can all grow tired even of something we enjoy doing. I love writing. But some days I feel like quitting. Recently, I’ve been working on my dissertation for my MA in English Literature, and as much as I enjoy reading, I’m sick of working on this project through the summer when most of my family and friends are on vacation. Now everybody’s getting ready to head back to school, and I’m still working on my dissertation.

But over the years, I’ve found several methods to help me get through it all. Here are just a few that have helped.

1) Set goals.

Whether it’s 1,000 words or 100, setting goals for each day, each week can help you make them. Projects like NaNoWriMo give you a set quota for the day based on your final word count goal. Make sure you set achievable goals, like don’t strive for 5,000 words a day if you can barely write 2,000 usually. You can work up to that instead. 

Every bit of progress counts. Even if you don’t make your quota for the day, don’t beat yourself up. There’s always tomorrow. (Unless that’s the deadline, in which case, CHUG COFFEE).

2) Share your project.

If you tell people what you’re working on, you’re more likely to receive encouragement than if you keep your writing project secret. This isn’t to say that you have to share every last word as you go, but friends are a great way to keep you going. Back in July, when I was spending the month with my friend Faith, I’d spend the morning writing my dissertation, and when I finished my goal for the day, Faith would cheer me on, even if I thought my writing was complete crap. Thank you, Faith!

3) Set aside time and space.

Know what writing environment works for you and stick to it. Set aside certain spots for writing and relaxation. For example, in England, I wrote in my room or at the library and spent all my relaxation time outdoors. At home, I worked on my dissertation in the living room but read or wrote for fun on the balcony or in my room. This allowed me to separate my work space from my relaxation space, and believe me, it’s helped my mental health.

As for time, it’s good to know when you focus best. For writing, I focus best in the morning and the evening after dinner. I cannot for the life of me write in mid-afternoon. But I can edit anytime. Knowing what time works best for you can help optimize your performance and help you meet your goals.

4) Just write!

Often times, the best way to do something you don’t want to do is to just do it. If you don’t want to write, just write. It may not sound like much fun when you think about it, but if all you do is think, you’ll never get anywhere. If you want to make progress, go out there and make it. Just thinking about it won’t get you anywhere.

5) Pace yourself.

Back when I was studying for exams and doing homework, I used to study for 45 minutes and take a 5-10 minute Pinterest or Facebook break. This works well for writing too. Now, I like to put on a movie soundtrack and work until the last song. Then I’ll take a short break.

Your brain can get tired of work, especially when you’re bored. But be careful not to take a break before your allotted time, and if you’re on a role when you reach the end of your set time, keep going! 45 minutes is a great time period to work with short, 5-10 minute breaks so you don’t lose concentration. Repeat the process and take 15-minute breaks every other hour.

6) Bribe Reward yourself.

Whether it’s with an enjoyable walk, a TV episode, or a bowl of ice cream, treat yourself after you make your quota for the day. Back in my undergrad days, I used to reward myself with a chapter for fun after 45 minutes of studying. Lately, that hasn’t worked because I’d end up reading half the book for fun instead. Now I have go for a nice long bike ride or have a bowl of Reese’s peanut butter ice cream. Tell me you wouldn’t work on homework for ice cream.

7) Remember why you started.

Did you start writing for fun? For the joy of discovering what you believe? For school? For work? Whatever your reason, reminding yourself why you started writing can help you keep writing. For my dissertation, I could keep telling myself I that if I don’t write the thing I’ll fail my MA, but how encouraging is that? Instead, it’s helpful to remind myself why I picked The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost to write on—because I enjoyed reading them and I wanted to learn more!

Having a mission statement works great. But if you’re on a tight deadline, don’t feel like you have to write one out.

Finally, I’m thinking about starting a newsletter for all my lovely followers. If you’re even remotely interesting in receiving more direct updates, please fill out the following 10-question survey. Thanks!

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Have there been any circumstances when you felt like giving up? Which of the above tips have helped you? Do you have any helpful tips for meeting your goals?

Backspace: A Poem

Today is a special day. Nearly two years ago, I started Word Storm, and this, my friends, is my 50^th post! Woohoo!

I’d like to thank my mom for getting me that book on journalism that started me on blogging, my friend Sarah for encouraging me to start a new blog, my fellow-blogger and critique partner Faith, and all of my lovely readers. So thank you for putting up with my crazy book-ish ramblings thus far.

Due to excessive coursework, I’m going to take next month off blogging. *gasp* How could I? Stated simply, I have to write two major essays and a dissertation (a.k.a. a master’s thesis). In all, these assignments amount to nearly 25,000 words and have the same amount of stress as your average NaNoWriMo project, if not more. But I have a special post already written and hope to see you back for my regulars posts in June. 

And now, for a poem. This one’s pretty simple. I wrote it for fun one day when contemplating one of the most-pressed keys on the keyboard. Whether you’re a writer by trade, a find-and-peck expert, or someone who occasionally uses a computer, you’ve likely encountered this key before…

Backspace

A writer’s favorite key with a very distinctive sound;
don’t you just adore the moments you’re watching a movie
with a writer at work, and you hear the unmistakable click
of a backspace? How do you know? Is it the twisted anger
or the constant pound Pound. POUND. POUND! POUND!
all in succession that gives it away. Let me hand out
this particular key like a prankster passes out pins in
a theme park to pop children’s balloons—pop Pop. POP. POP! POP!
—first it’s startling, terrifying, the imminent destruction
of hard-earned, cheek-blown rubber destroyed in a matter
of seconds. It’s like running up the down escalator—
with each brilliant idea comes twenty regrets
tumbling one after the other all dragging you down, down, down.
Remember the time you tripped up the stairs and bruised your knee?
Yep, that’s the humiliation of the Backspace,
erasing your splendid, stupid thoughts.

***

What was your worst run-in with the backspace? What's been your favorite post from this blog so far?

7 Things No Writer Wants to Hear

Caution: High levels of sass. Read at your own peril!

Everybody has introductory questions they hate. You know the ones: in college it's “What’s your major?” and for nomads it’s “Where are you from?” The same goes for writers, though annoyance is not limited to first-time conversations. Below are some sure questions and statements to irritate your writer friends/acquaintances:
 

“What’s your story about?”

This is one of my pet peeves. It’s almost like the equivalent of asking somebody what his/her life is about. How do you put all that in one or two sentences? Writers (at least writers like myself) are generally thinkers and may require time to think over an answer like this. So don’t be surprised if I give out two completely different answers for the same story on the spot to two different people. Unless you are an editor/agent/publisher, please don’t ask this question.

Some alternate questions that writers don’t mind answering: “What genre is your story? Who is your target audience? Can you tell me about your protagonist? What’s the setting?” Etc. Go specific! Writers enjoy this kind of stuff.

“Oh! So it’s like [insert TV show/movie here]?”

If this is a follow up to question 1, the writer is likely irritated already. This question just makes it worse. As a writer, I already tend to over criticize and compare my half-finished work to something well-edited and successful. The above comment might not only make such a comparison but implies plagiarism on the writer’s part. (See The Greatest Literary Thieves.)

Alternate questions: “Where do you get your inspiration from?” Inspiration doesn’t imply that the writer is a plagiarizer.

“You should do [insert plot element] next!”

 Are you the writer of this story? No? Then feel free to write your own story.! While writers enjoy honest feedback, they don’t want people telling them how to write their book. Of course, writer’s still enjoy brainstorming plot elements. If they ask to brainstorm, you can throw in some ideas, but other times writers need to talk at you. If an idea isn’t plausible, let him/her know, but usually writers stumble upon epiphanies even if it sounds like utter nonsense to you.

Alternate phrases: “What do you think of [insert plot element]?” If the writer responds negatively, drop the subject.

 

“I’m writing a story about [insert complete synopsis].”

This one is tricky. It’s not that writers don’t want to hear about your story, but if you just met, or if the conversation just started, this might not be the time to add this. A general tip: don’t smother the writer, especially if the writer is an introvert. This might be the first time in who-knows-how-long she/he is talking aloud. Allow him/her to voice his or her thoughts.

If a writer asks you about your story, take it as compliment. Writers can make some of the best listeners. This isn’t to say that the writer should dominate the conversation. This principle of listening goes both ways.

Remember: Listen as much as you speak.

“Would you consider writing my life story?”

Not always phrased like this, but it’s pretty close. If a writer specializes in young adult fiction or poetry, they might not be interested. Just as there are different types of sports, there are different styles of writing. Writers may not specialize in all of them.

Alternate questions: “Do you enjoy/would you consider writing nonfiction?” If the answer is “yes,” you might consider building up to the main question.

“What do you mean you’re rewriting your book?”

This question implies that writers should always get it correct the first time and if they don’t, they’ve failed. This is simply not true! Writers may go through several drafts before they get it right, much less the way they like it.

Remember: Every writer is different. Some may work at a different pace or with a different system than others.  Even every story is different. The same writer may come out with several drafts for one story, but get another nearly correct the first time.

“Writing doesn’t pay.”

Correction: writing doesn’t pay well. But it can pay. And it’s not about the money. It’s about the expression through words and imagination.

Alternative phrases: “You must be a brave soul.” Okay, now I’m getting a little dramatic, but you get the picture. If you want a writer as a friend, don’t poke him/her in the eye.

***

Have you read the start of this series? Check out “The Proper Care and Feeding of a Writer: Some of the Basics.” And come back Nov. 15 for “Part 3: Things Writers Want to Hear from Readers.”

Readers, what are your thoughts on this? Writers, what would you add to this list?