Okay, so. I'm just climbing out of this. And I say long term, I mean LONG TERM. It was years for me. I haven't really talked about it because I just assumed writing had left me.
But about a year ago, I really, really really wanted to write again, I made a concentrated effort to try. It's a been pretty ugly year. A lot of fits and starts and falling flat on my face.
That said, I eventually found the key to breaking through the wall.
I had to stop listening all the outside noise. Everything. Publishing news. Writing advice. Trends. EVERYTHING. I had to stop. It was feeding into all my insecurities and building this wall I could never climb over. And it was in that cocoon, that I was able to start writing again. That was this past November.
I've since started listening to the outside world again but I've been really careful to put everything in boxes. When I write, it's only me. No outside noise or voices to crowd mine out. When I start paying attention to the outside world, it's at a time I think of a Not Writing Time. This is what works for me.
Beginning to write again after a long break is hard. I'm not going to lie or sugarcoat. It's hard. It takes effort to get into the habit again. But you have to be willing to try again and again no matter how many times you fail because that next time might be the one that sticks and changes your life.
I don't know if any of that was helpful but that was my experience.
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Date: 2012-12-10 11:14 pm (UTC)Okay, so. I'm just climbing out of this. And I say long term, I mean LONG TERM. It was years for me. I haven't really talked about it because I just assumed writing had left me.
But about a year ago, I really, really really wanted to write again, I made a concentrated effort to try. It's a been pretty ugly year. A lot of fits and starts and falling flat on my face.
That said, I eventually found the key to breaking through the wall.
I had to stop listening all the outside noise. Everything. Publishing news. Writing advice. Trends. EVERYTHING. I had to stop. It was feeding into all my insecurities and building this wall I could never climb over. And it was in that cocoon, that I was able to start writing again. That was this past November.
I've since started listening to the outside world again but I've been really careful to put everything in boxes. When I write, it's only me. No outside noise or voices to crowd mine out. When I start paying attention to the outside world, it's at a time I think of a Not Writing Time. This is what works for me.
Beginning to write again after a long break is hard. I'm not going to lie or sugarcoat. It's hard. It takes effort to get into the habit again. But you have to be willing to try again and again no matter how many times you fail because that next time might be the one that sticks and changes your life.
I don't know if any of that was helpful but that was my experience.