5 Hurdles Faced By Writers And How To Cross Them

Being a writer myself, I know how challenging the process can get. Here are 5 hurdles every writer faces, and how you can deal with them!

There are many ways to tell a story.

Being a writer, I am aware how tough it is to pin down your thoughts sometimes…especially when your mind is addled with a thousand responsibilities and commitments.

So here are a few problems every writer encounters, and a few measures to combat them:

Trouble starting

You may find a thousand thoughts running amok in your head. But the moment you try putting pen to paper, they somehow vanish. Maybe you just cannot come up with the perfect introductory line. Or maybe you are just too embarrassed to pursue the story that has been growing in your head and prefer that it stays there. Whatever the dilemma, you often find yourself staring at a blank sheet or screen, wondering how to go ahead.

Well, the solution is simple. We often tend to get our best ideas in the weirdest or most awkward places, at unexpected times. You may be in the shower, or attending a wedding, or in the midst of a work presentation when suddenly BAM! An idea hits you.

Some of my best ideas tend to hit me while taking a dump. So what does one do? Keep a notepad ready and jot down the idea at the first moment possible before the rest of the day catches up and sweeps your idea under the proverbial carpet.

I sometimes jot down my ideas in the draft folder of my email on my phone. That way, I know it is safe…even if my phone crashes, my idea will remain. You can then develop these plots as and when you find the time. For those apprehensive about the perfect introduction, just write. You can edit later. Nothing is perfect anyway, at least not in the first draft.

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Losing steam midway 

Find yourself stuck in a rut? Think it’s a waste of time going any further? Be it in relationships or writing projects, this thought will surely cross your mind. The trick is to hold it at bay.

Most things appear bad when they are just about to turn good. So when you start feeling self conscious about your work, just hang in there. Take a break. Have a coffee. Or a nap. Shut out all thoughts of the WIP for a while. Then with a clear head, start from where you left.

Freezing out of fear

Sometimes you tend to give up way before things can turn for the better. You freeze. You fear. And you quit. Feeling insecure about your writing is natural. In fact, someone who doesn’t doubt their skills can never improve. But don’t let this fear bite you hard enough to make you stop. Keep writing (maybe even in your diary or notebook) until you are convinced you can show it to the world. Until the fear can’t hold a mirror to your talent.

Procrastination 

We are all guilty of this. Be it due to our busy lives, our lethargy, or just our tendency of pushing onto tomorrow what we can do today, procrastination is the enemy we need to battle.

Wake up early. Plan your day. Set realistic goals. And try your best to achieve them. We all have unfinished drafts in our folders. Set your mind on completing  them before starting on a new project. Scan your folder and declutter it of all the WIP’s you don’t intend ever working on (trust me you will find a lot of these). They just sit there creating a lot of negativity. Keep only the drafts you plan to finish (and be truthful while deciding this). That way, you will attain your goal sooner.

That said, we all know how stubborn plot bunnies can sometimes get. You push and you pull, you tug and you try but no matter what, they refuse to emerge from their rabbit hole. As Calvin rightly summed it, “You cannot turn on creativity like a faucet.”

However, the same Calvin, on another occasion of profound wisdom, rightly summed up the creative pursuit, “You cannot expect inspiration to follow you,” he said. “You gotta chase it with a club.”

I hope you have success hunting it down!

Picture Credits: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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