Making The Fear of Writing Poorly Disappear
Many writers battle the staring-at-the-blank-page syndrome. Most would say it is more than the fear that makes them not know what to write, but the anxiety. While others, at that moment of writing, find their brains fried out. Caution must be in place and, or set up before writing anything. Proper outlines help. But what happens when nothing seems to be coming into one’s head? Frustration, disappointment — you can say a lot, I know.
Every cause follows an action. More so, a workable one. The push, or likely, let’s say the foundational reason for your poor writing can be found within these four causes: the natural cause, the distinct cause, the transient, as well as the artificial cause.
How to deal with these causes
To the brain’s dismay or benefit, every human mind has a certain driving force. This force enables the mind work at its best, possible form, or this force could warrant explosive, colossal misfortunes — especially for the writer.
Finding what frustrates you as a writer, and generally, as a person helps reduce possible future writing problems. Certain routines need to change, need to be cushioned, for you, if not, more frustrations would be found around the corner. No one wishes for that, right? Right.
Natural Cause
Have you ever felt the surge — and this time, a feeling so strong — to not write because it frustrates you? Well, if you have, or would have, know this now: that’s the natural cause. Usually, the brain acts funny. That feeling happens to everyone.
Looking at work in general — away from writing — the brain finds tasks tiring when fatigued. Writing is working. Any explanation, less than that of this information, is false. Takes a lot of the mind’s, brain-storming, and concentrated energy to arrive at one proper, and bold sentence at the end of the day.
Deal with your fatigue. Move on from getting extremely tired before working. Helps a great deal with improving your performance level if you work from a place of comfort. Use self-help, which could be in how much you prioritize breakfast, or it could be something else only you know about. Find that worthwhile, depressant action and use it to your advantage.
Distinct Cause
Imposter syndrome is a thing when writing. Needing the best out of every possible piece of art, or from every sentence is a distinct feature creative-thinking people, who double as writers, around the world suffer so greatly from, and there’s a reason why.
Driving toward perfectionism as a writer whose interest is in making consistent, their writing, leads to frustration or depression. Perfectionism is a distinct, and not-so-achievable, utopian idea. Desist from it.
Each work; just like a new sentence, should feel more improved to you as the writer than the last. That should be the goal moving forward, and not perfectionism.
Transient Cause
Everyone disputes their visibility. This is an inevitable fact. Thinking about being visible, and if you truly are one, is a worry writers face — or would face during their time on earth as writers.
Dwelling on the need to be visible overrides the sole purpose of writing. To pen, more so, to document events as James Baldwin says, makes “The importance of a writer… is to observe” so important.
Artificial Cause
No first drafts are good-to-go drafts. Don’t create a view of getting all of it figured out at once. Not one word (that struck you, that you read somewhere) or a piece of writing, was good at first. Water your writing skills. Watch it grow, and be happy about it onward. Writers write until drafts are at their best fitting state. Nothing makes you special other than consistency. What describes a best-fitting draft? Folks ask this question a lot. How do I know if my draft is the best fitting for publication? Stick with me. In the next article, we would get to know more about that.
Conclusion
Find your frustration. The trigger is never outside our minds, that feeling of doubt, of frustration. Every regret, as well as doubt, and laxity, are best dealt with from the inside. Self-therapy is the most therapeutic advice any writer will get. Motivation is not self-therapy. Bear that in mind. Find what your mind lusts after, and bring it right back to your art.
