The Everyday Life of a Writer: Why Is Everything So Complicated?
Why Is Writing So Complicated?
Writing is not easy. Well, let’s be honest: writing is extremely hard, but not for an essay writer. You might have seen your friends surprised when you with all sincerity confessed that you actually hate writing.
People see us, writers, as those lucky ones who have managed to organize their lives perfectly.
They believe that you have cracked that secret of making your favorite activity bring you income. Indeed, this is not a myth – doing something you like for money is great. However, in reality, there are so many problems and frustrating moments we have to face.
There are three main aspects of writing activity we have to deal with:
- The reaction of the audience
- Procrastination or writer’s block
- Successes and failures (and how to estimate them)
These factors shape the way we perceive our work and the results of it. Because writing is a creative type of activity, it is hard to predict what kind of outcome one will face. What is more, it is hard to evaluate your work and progress. In such conditions, crisis and frustration become an integral part of our life.
The process of writing, be it web copywriting or fiction, is never defined clearly. The expectations are not straightforward, deadlines are mostly self-determined, and you never know what kind of content you will produce this time. Is it a good piece or not so much? Can you rely on the feedback, or should you determine the quality yourself? Where is the balance? These and other questions can make anyone crazy.
Maybe, the worst thing about writing is that it is never finished. Your paper, novel, or article is something that can never be called a completed piece. After you are done with it, you will come back for a thousand times to revise it. And if you are a perfectionist like most professional writers are, this improvement process can last forever. Still, in most cases, you have to leave it at some point, but you will continue thinking that the result is not as good as you want it to be. It never will be.
Most of us get stuck with our texts because we have to write them for other people. Someone will read it and will react somehow. People might like or dislike your content, but the Internet is full of something else, and they will quickly skip it and forget it. There is so much stuff you have to compete against. The reaction of people influences writers because writing is personal. Your writing is like a part of your personality. As a result, you perceive all comments personally. It is hard to untie your content from yourself, and when people don’t accept it, you automatically believe that they don’t accept you. There is one thing that is even more painful than negative feedback. This is silence, an absence of any response. When we get positive feedback, we feel better, and our work becomes more valuable to us. Let’s admit that our perception hardly depends on the reaction we evoke.
The problem with writing is that what we hate about it is also what we like about it. The same aspects can transform in different ways, becoming motivators or de-motivators for us. We hate the empty pages when we experience writer’s block, and we love them when we know what exactly we want to say and how. A flexible schedule can be overwhelming when you have too much work to do and sit until the late-night at your desk. However, it is great when you manage everything perfectly and have plenty of free time. Handing your texts to customers can be embarrassing and stressful, but it is amazing when you know that your piece is excellent.
Rethinking your perception of writing
In most cases, when we think that we hate writing it means that we are afraid of failure. However, isn’t it a perfect position one has to take? In the highly-competitive market, it is hard to reach success if you don’t really care about the result. The world of creativity also requires you to evaluate yourself regularly and become better. The fear of failure can be paralyzing, but in most cases, this is an excellent fuel for us. It boosts self-critique, honesty with yourself, and of course – your growth as a professional. An adequate attitude to your own activity is something we all need. It is necessary to stop romanticizing yourself and learn to use your fear of failure as something productive, not pernicious.