6,000 Words

Do you ever get mired down in a novel? I'm not talking about writer's block, something I am lucky to say has never constrained me. It isn't procrastination either--although that has plagued me countless times. It is more that I sometimes struggle finding the pathway through a novel. I have so many ideas and create so many characters that my writing gets fragmented. It doesn't help that I often write short stories from the point of view of different characters in my novels. While this helps me to create fuller characters, it also makes me get off track when it comes to the main story line.

How I respond to this situation simple: I start writing something else. Unfortunately, this isn't a solution but merely a distraction. Currently I have two texts that have been in this stage for almost two months. My writing goal this week is to get both of those texts our of the "mired" pile. This feels like a tall order to me--but I am confident that I can succeed.

To achieve this, my plan is to:
(1) write a brief "outline" for the next section of each text. I'm not an outliner--but I think it might be helpful in this situation.
(2) Write at least 3000 words for each text.
(3) Leave all other writing projects unopen. This will likely be the most challenging part of this week's goal for me.

So, I better get to it.

Confidence????

There are days when I feel like a competent enough writer to get published. And then there are days, like today, when I completely lack confidence in myself as a writer. What is it that makes us pendulum from one side to the other?

Sometimes when I am reading a particularly well-written and interesting novel, it makes me doubt my abilities. I try to focus on enjoying the work and on what I can learn from the writer. But, secretly, I’m jealous. I’m almost embarrassed to admit this emotion. I should be happy for the successes of others, and I love reading—so I don’t want these talented writers to stop publishing. But in my very core, I want the talent that they have, and I want to be published (like them).

Perhaps I need to look at my “jealously” in a different light. These feeling also inspire me to work harder. I believe that writing is a learned endeavor—just like riding a bike or making jewelry. While we might have traits that make us a more apt student of writing, I don’t believe that anyone is inherently a superb writer. Everyone has to work at it. Therefore, when I find myself jealous—it is also with the backdrop that I can achieve my goal--I just have to be a diligent student.

I think the crests and troughs of self-confidence are normal for any artist. Perhaps the focus shouldn’t be on the waves themselves, but how we approach both our confidence and self-doubt and how we can use them to our advantage. After all, we are emotional creatures. Can you imagine how boring novels would be if we weren’t?