Sometimes, it’s hard to keep going, to keep writing. Discouragement and doubts rage. You don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Maybe you should just quit, you keep thinking to yourself. Dear friend, press onward. Find someone you won’t let you just give up. Imposter syndrome and writing doubts have been a huge struggle of mine.… Continue reading Onward
Tag: writing struggles
How Far You’ve Come
Look back at how far you’ve come. I have a line-a-day five-year journal, where I jot down a sentence or two each day, and can see what I wrote for that day in the past years. A while ago, I saw my note from last year when my story “Dandelion Wishes” was announced as a finalist… Continue reading How Far You’ve Come
You Don’t Have to Do Social Media
To my fellow writers on social media, You don’t have to do it all.Social media can be overwhelming. There’s so much you can do, and there’s always the pressure to do more. Plus, social media can be a time-sucking black hole.But you don’t have to do everything on social media. You don’t have to post… Continue reading You Don’t Have to Do Social Media
Comparison
Writer, stop comparing yourself.I think there are few things that kill creativity as quickly as comparison does. Yet we writers compare ourselves all the time. Word counts, publications, followers—we compare it all.We need to stop. Comparison can grow imposter syndrome, cause discouragement, and possibly create tension between writers. It can lead us to jealousy, which… Continue reading Comparison
Seasons
How is life going for you, friend? If I’m being honest, life is a little crazy right now. I was traveling most of June, came back to visit lots of family, and am now helping my family get ready to move. It’s been busy. I haven’t written in about a month. And right now, that’s… Continue reading Seasons
Dealing with Plot Bunnies
Do you struggle with plot bunnies?I do. 😅 New story ideas love to pop into my head all the time. Some are better than others, of course. But frequently getting new story ideas means that I have to fight to stay focused on my current WIP. Here are some of the ways that I deal… Continue reading Dealing with Plot Bunnies
Editing: Love it or Dread it?
Let’s talk about editing—and our mindset towards it. For years, I felt dread at the thought of editing a book. It seemed like a massive, daunting task—and editing is. I mean, it’s not easy. But I think the writing community maybe needs to change how we talk about editing. Part of the reason I was… Continue reading Editing: Love it or Dread it?
Write Knowing that You’ll Edit
What is a piece of writing advice that you love? I don’t know if someone actually said this, or if it is something I can up with, or if it’s a combination of advice, but one piece of advice that I find especially freeing for me in writing is this: Write knowing you’re going to… Continue reading Write Knowing that You’ll Edit
_____ Is Hard
Recently, I finished my first read-through of Brontide and started my first round of content (big picture) edits. Today, I hit the "I can't do this" wall. The problems feel overwhelming. I'm not sure if any of my ideas of how to fix them are any good. At my current speed, it seems like I'll… Continue reading _____ Is Hard
Writing Light
Light and darkness. It’s something I think about as a Christian writer. We live in a sinful world. We live in darkness. And we need light. We need a Savior. We need the Light of the World. Stories are a unique way of communicating truths to a person and making them think about something. As… Continue reading Writing Light