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What To Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

By on June 21, 2018

Almost every writer, at some stage during their writing career has a moment where they feel like giving up. That moment may be fleeting and be dismissed just as quickly as it came, or it may be something that builds up, creeps into your head and becomes impossible to shake.

There is no denying that writing is a tough job. We all know it. However there are times where writing can feel so tough it’s hard to carry on. Perhaps you are suffering from writer’s block and tired of being so exacerbated and infuriated that no words seem to want to come out, or perhaps you’ve suffered a rejection or been giving a particularly bad review. Perhaps you just can’t find the time to write or have got into such a routine of procrastination that you wonder how you’ll ever manage to get back to writing regularly.

Feeling as though you are wasting your time, that you’ll never become a success and that no one really cares about your writing can be pretty draining. However before you decide to pack in writing forever you need to really be sure it is the right decision, and not something you will come to regret.

More often then not quitting isn’t the right choice, so what should you do when you feel like giving up to really be sure, one way or another?

How do you feel?

Only you know deep down how you truly feel. Try to get to the very root cause of how you feel and be honest with yourself about what is causing you to feel this way. More often then not there might be a particular problem that has a solution. If you truly find writing unenjoyable and can’t see how you could ever change that you’ll know that maybe it is time to stop.

Where have you gotten to?

If you are just forming a new idea and you feel like giving up already, it may simply be that this particular idea isn’t going to work. Park it and try working on something else for a while to see if that gets you motivated. If you are midway through a writing project just look how far you have come already. It might be tough but if you’ve come this far why not try and push through until the end and then see how you feel?

What is writing getting in the way of?

Sometimes we can feel like giving up on writing because it takes away from other things we want to do. Writing doesn’t come without sacrifice, but if there is something that you feel is lacking from your life and writing is getting in the way of it try to reassess your priorities, to shift and juggle some of your daily activities to find room for both. Why not cut your writing time, or find a different slot for it rather then quitting altogether?

Reassess your goals

You might feel like giving up on writing because you have simply given yourself too much to do. Your writing goals should be challenges but they don’t have to make you feel totally stressed out or pressured. Why not create some easily achievable goals to help give you more of a sense of achievement with your writing, and then start to build up again from there?

Give yourself time

Just because thought of giving up comes into your head doesn’t mean it’s the right answer. It’s OK to give yourself a bit of time to think about what you really want, what your goals and priorities are and what will make you happiest.

Surround yourself with positive people

Some people just aren’t going to ‘get’ your writing or aren’t going to support you when it comes to your writing goals. These people aren’t helping you so try to distance yourself from them, or at least separate the time you spend with them from your work so you don’t have to mix the two.

Try to finish something

Sometimes all it takes is getting something finished to feel as though you are back on track. Before you give up on writing, promise yourself you’ll finish your latest project and then reassess things after that.

Take a break

Taking a break from your writing is not the same as giving up on it, so if things are really getting on top of you give yourself some space, create some distance from your writing and just return to it when you feel ready.

So next time you feel like giving up why not take some time to really ask yourself why you feel like doing so? Then use the above tips to get you back into a positive and productive frame of mind once more! At the end of the day feeling happy and fulfilled is what is most important, so do whatever feels right for you!

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

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

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