HOW TO BEAT 5 STRUGGLES THAT EVERY WRITER ENCOUNTERS.
To be a writer is to embark on a mysterious mind adventure. After all, writing is a tedious quest that has the prospect of carrying many obstacles and headaches. However, if you learn to appreciate the journey, the positives can far outweigh the negatives.
Here are five frequent struggles writers enconuter and how they can be solved:
1. THAT PESKY PHONE PING.
In the time you set aside to finally sit down and focus on writing, everyone and their mother seems to want to talk to you. They weren't there before, but now they want to get coffee or discuss their issues or send you Buzzfeed articles that nobody has time for. ping. Ping. PING. Phones aren’t just annoying when they inconveniently ring at the cinema or blast out inappropriately during church. Just remember that the silence function (I'm not talking about vibrate - you can still hear that) is your friend – use it. It also helps to tuck your phone far way on the other side of the house, possibly locked in a safe that exists underneath a mound of blankets.
2. THE TIME WASTER THAT IS NETFLIX.
And Youtube. And Facebook. Oh my. (And that dang TV if you’re old school, of course). The digital world we live in brings many distractions. We find ourselves just NEEDING to know why there was a spider in some person’s coke bottle or how different that celebrity really looks without makeup (thanks, newsfeed). For the most part, it’s best to keep the Internet off when writing. There is a simple app called OmmWriter that that does an excellent job of creating a Zen-like writing environment.
However, I will say that we have the power to use the Internet as a tool of inspiration. We quite literally have access to anything at our fingertips. Of course, we must utilize it both wisely and concisely.
3. FINDING THE RIGHT MUSIC.
It can be a torturous adventure to discover the undertones that compliment a piece. Sometimes it's such a painstaking process that you may find it better to simpy write in silence. My suggestion is to check out the many playlists of 8tracks.com. You put in what you need and it spouts it out.
4. FIGHTING INNER DEMONS.
Face it - you're your own worst critic. Even if you don't think you are, you are. No matter how muted, fault-finding thoughts are circulating in your brain. They might take on the voice of your mother, your father, your critical friend, your ex... but trust me they are there. And, hey, some of them can even be helpful at times - they may steer you away from writing gibberish. However, for the most part we want to fight these inner demons. Do your best to make sure you are concentrated on your work and not on your thoughts about it. The solution is the same for writer's block. You should do whatever it will take to put you in the "write" (see what I did there?) mindset before you write - meditate, eat ice cream, visit with a friend, find a cozy booth at your local cafe etc. - just make sure you feel content. You do not want to be in a self-depricating mood! (Save that for editing ;) ).
5. YOUR EDITOR IS MIA.
It could be your wife, your husband, your mom, your friend or even some random dude you're paying on the Internet, but the person you trust to look over your work is invaluable. So when you have finally finished and your person isn’t available when you need them, it can be excruciating. Especially if you’re trying to meet a deadline. We all know no matter how many times we read our own work, there is always that irksome little spelling error lurking on the page. Needless to say, we need our people. It might be time to run across your home, throw all the blankets into the air, unlock the safe and call them.
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