DISCOURAGEMENT:
How to Keep Writing When You're Discouraged
Writing is like a road trip into the soul, and no road trip is perfect. Along the journey, you’ll experience delays, bumper-to-bumper traffic, missed turns, and accidents, and you’ll encounter future roadkill, too. In the metaphor of a road trip, discouragement is like a flat tire. It happens unexpectedly and cannot be ignored.
Sometimes, discouragement happens at once. You hit a bump and your tire immediately deflates. Other times, discouragement happens slowly. You wear out your tires after traveling down a particularly rocky road.
And, make no mistake, the writer’s road is rocky. But it is possible to overcome disappointments and get back on track.
Below, we’re sharing tips on why discouragement happens and how to deal with it effectively. Let’s get started.
WHY DOES DISCOURAGEMENT HAPPEN?
1. YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED
2. YOU DON'T FEEL PREPARED
3. YOU'RE COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS
4. YOU CAN'T UNBLOCK YOURSELF
5. YOU FEEL ANNOYED WITH WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN
6. YOU HAVE BEEN HIT WITH BAD NEWS
7. YOU'RE WAITING FOR A MUSE
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT DISCOURAGEMENT?
1. START A JOURNAL
2. CHANGE YOUR THINKING
3. EXERCISE
4. SET A GOAL FOR EACH DAY
5. WRITE YOURSELF ENCOURAGING NOTES
6. JOIN A WRITER'S GROUP
FINAL THOUGHTS
You may experience disappointment or setbacks along your journey. But don’t let anything stop you from telling the story that only you can write