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What To Do When You Feel like Giving Up

By on May 10, 2017
What To Do When You Feel Like Giving Up- Writer's Life.org

No one ever said that writing was easy, and as writers and authors, we know better than anyone that writing requires dedication, determination and perseverance even when we feel like we are getting nowhere at all.

If you’ve been writing for a while, you’ll no doubt have had low moment, ones where you just can’t think how to get over a writing hurdle, where you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do, where you feel you aren’t good enough and you just can’t bring yourself to sit down and get on with it anymore.

In short, we’ve all felt like giving up once in a while.

It’s important, however, during these moments of despair, to keep on writing, This may be easier said than done, but there are ways that you can help yourself to get over it more quickly. So next time you feel like giving up, try some of these:

Take a walk

Sometimes you end up spending hours cramped over your desk, having consumed so much coffee you don’t know what’s going on. Doing something simple like taking a walk in the fresh air, somewhere beautiful, having a good stretch and getting a little exercise is all you need to clear your head and make you feel ready to sit down and start work once more.

Seek advice

If you are suffering from a writing problem why suffer alone? We wouldn’t with any other difficulty we face so why do we feel as though we must work through our writing problems all by ourselves? A family member or friend, a fellow writer, a mentor, or an online group - you can easily find people who will be willing to help you and encourage you if you are stuck with your writing, and will help you figure a way forward.

Try a new project

If you are finding yourself losing interest in a particular writing project, set it aside for a while and work on something else. The key here is to keep writing, make that a priority above all else and you might find that when you return to your previous work you look at it with a fresh pair of eyes and can see how to make it work once more.

Remember everyone fails

Take solace in the fact that it is rare a writer won’t feel full of self-doubt and crippling hopelessness at some point during their career! It’s easy to find stories of multiple rejections, of writers struggles, of times where even the most famous and successful authors wanted to give up - but remember that they didn’t, and neither should you.

Get to the root of the problem

Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed by our writing problems we can’t clearly see what they are. It might be that there is just one specific thing you need to change or rework or figure out and then suddenly that doom-like cloud will be lifted. So next time you feel lie giving up really search for the root of the problem and then tackle it head on.

Step away

Sometimes you need to detach yourself from your writing and gain some perspective in order to see it in a new light. This is particularly helpful if you find yourself feeling negative about your writing. Step away, leave your project for a while and go back to it when you are feeling more positive. Learning to manage and regulate your emotions and look at your work objectively and with a clear head can be so helpful.

Know what motivates you

Understanding your writing motivation can be so helpful when you feel like giving up. It might be that you need to reward yourself, it might be that you need to join a writing group so you have the support of others, it might be that you need to simply remind yourself of why you love writing in the first place. Read over old work you are proud of, remind yourself of your previous success and use these to keep you motivated.

Stay positive!

It’s so easy to get into a cycle of negativity when it comes to writing. If you feel yourself full of self- doubt, try to break the cycle as soon as possible. You aren’t helping yourself by being negative. be open to learning and improving for sure, but try to change your behaviour, complement yourself, big yourself up, become a fan - more than anything we need to believe in ourselves so try to stay positive and suddenly things will seem a whole lot better!

Remember, we’ve all felt like giving up at one point or another, but think about how many writers have regretted persevering? Don’t be a writer that ends up full of regret because you gave up - keep writing, stay positive and soon you’ll be back on track!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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