What's the hardest part of being a writer to you, and what common writer woes don't make sense to you?

[Emotica]

I think the hardest part of writing is the editing. Not only is it likely you'll have to do it multiple times, but when you already know the twists and turns of your own story, it can be easy to go on autopilot when what you really need is greater focus than when you wrote it.


As far as woes I don't understand, I'd have to go with lack of motivation. To be fair, I definitely get it to some extent, but I usually see that through a biological or logistical lens. If I'm lacking motivation, then a coffee or a nap is usually enough, or simply focusing on another aspect of the process. Even being mentally fried from a long writing session isn't really the same to me as lacking motivation. That's just being tired.

 

[blushiemagic]

The hardest part for me is finding the ever-elusive free time. In between work, and commuting, spending time with partners, and sleeping and getting trapped in my nightmares, chores, I think I only average like 30-60 minutes a day to edit and write these days
Editing is a close second though. I swear editing takes me like 5 times as long as the actual writing. Sometimes I wonder how things would go if I forget about building a backlog and just throw my second drafts out to the masses.

The biggest roadblock that has never blocked me is writer's block. But that's probably because with the 23-23.5 hours per day I'm not free and all the time I spend editing, I have all the time in the world to assemble extremely detailed outlines in my head that are just screaming to be released into words.

 

[Kurayami]

I am my own worst enemy. I get in my way a lot with writing, and I am harder on myself and writing quality than anyone can ever be. I have a dutiful mindset that can hold me back or stop me from writing. What's been really helpful for me is setting deadlines and meeting them. No matter how much I want to put off or think about it more, I will have to get it done.

This lends to my sense of duty as well. Since readers know when to expect a chapter, I have an obligation to deliver it to them at that time.

 

[Emotica]

The hardest part for me is finding the ever-elusive free time. In between work, and commuting, spending time with partners, and sleeping and getting trapped in my nightmares, chores, I think I only average like 30-60 minutes a day to edit and write these days
Editing is a close second though. I swear editing takes me like 5 times as long as the actual writing. Sometimes I wonder how things would go if I forget about building a backlog and just throw my second drafts out to the masses.

The biggest roadblock that has never blocked me is writer's block. But that's probably because with the 23-23.5 hours per day I'm not free and all the time I spend editing, I have all the time in the world to assemble extremely detailed outlines in my head that are just screaming to be released into words.

Free time definitely seems like the biggest issue for most writers. Whenever I read about authors that launched an entire story while working a 9 to 5, it blows my mind. I mean, most people have 16 hours of waking time, and a 9 to 5 easily removes 10-12 hours from that pool, and that's before other responsibilities.

I am my own worst enemy. I get in my way a lot with writing, and I am harder on myself and writing quality than anyone can ever be. I have a dutiful mindset that can hold me back or stop me from writing. What's been really helpful for me is setting deadlines and meeting them. No matter how much I want to put off or think about it more, I will have to get it done.

This lends to my sense of duty as well. Since readers know when to expect a chapter, I have an obligation to deliver it to them at that time.

I think being self-critical is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a necessary prerequisite to writing anything even remotely good, but it can definitely be overdone. The greatest writers in the world have flaws, but a lot of rookies get hung up on perfection and ultimately perfection is the enemy of productivity in the creative arts.

 

[Kurayami]

Free time definitely seems like the biggest issue for most writers. Whenever I read about authors that launched an entire story while working a 9 to 5, it blows my mind. I mean, most people have 16 hours of waking time, and a 9 to 5 easily removes 10-12 hours from that pool, and that's before other responsibilities.

I think being self-critical is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a necessary prerequisite to writing anything even remotely good, but it can definitely be overdone. The greatest writers in the world have flaws, but a lot of rookies get hung up on perfection and ultimately perfection is the enemy of productivity in the creative arts.

That's where the dutiful mindset comes in clutch. Forcing myself to post what I have even if it is not the best makes me productive.

 

[AliceMoonvale]

The writing part.

I can always find the time, the inspiration, the ideas. I can come up with countless stories, shit posts, or long-term, multiple volume stories on a whim. I easily think of how I want things to sound in my head, envision scenes, origins, lores, characters, world building, etc.

It's just the writing. (technically typing)

If only I had amazing technology to let me type with my mind, I'd probably have finished three novels by now.

 

[Sylver]

Pacing and consistency.

Some advice: try to avoid large groups of characters in one chapter. It becomes a hassle trying to keep all of them active, you need to bench a few players to make if easier to write

The actual pacing of the story is tricky. You don't want to overstock on high stakes content, but when things are calm you don't want the story to drag too long either. Finding that balance is really up to what works best for the story and the audience.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I can best compare this situation to back when my "big main thing" was composing original classical music, from scratch. Its ahuge undertaking. You feel up against the wall, that you;re doing something "impossible". But you do it anyways. Just when you start getting somewhere, anywhere. You run into things that make no sense. Advice, tutorials.

---do thing X
---do not do thing X.
---your mindset should be Y
---Y is a mistake! Here's my reasons why.

just when you think you're getting some kind of a handle on "writing", just a tenuous finger-hold, mind you.
you end up in web novel land.
which is for a newcomer to web-novel-land... you wake up in OZ, lol.

the dichotomy increases.
the do this, do not do this... increases in number. Increases in VOLUME.

I best compare this to composing classical music.
its NOT like writing regular music.
its not like songwriting.
you're on your own, deciding which "x and notX" choices to make.

to me, classical composing is like regular music on steroids.
to me, web-novels is like regular paperback writing, again on steroids.

my rules, with lots of so-ca;;ed impossible endeavors I got decent at in my life...
1) forge ahead. keep doing.
2) of course you suck. suck a little less each time, over time.
3) if you cant ignore the (perhaps) well-meaning friends and family "helping" you to get realistic? Get another hobby.
4) if you can't take the most hateful sh!t right on the chin, and laugh and keep going? again, get another hobby.
5) talent? that's just what we call it when the person has experience and is getting somewhere.

music, writing, acting... you name it. All share one thing.
e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e that made it even a little bit? started out with nothing.
do you want to live in a world with no big actors, no writers, no musicians and singers?
because if everyone listened to friends, family, strangers... we'd have NONE of it.

if you can't masnufacture you're own willpower and dedication... you need another hobby.

PS - every single time, at these "impossible" tasks...
late in the game, just when there's no way I'm getting anywhere?
that's where you start to see it come together.
------------------------------------------------------

Editing is a close second though. I swear editing takes me like 5 times as long as the actual writing.

could even be ten times or more. who even knows these things.
but yes, getting serious about writing led me to realize that editing, proofing, sequencing...
whatever in the hell you call all of that.
Yeah, it takes multiple times the amount of time as the actual writing.
and that? is after I got my rough drafting schtick under control, mind you.

and at the end of the day...
I've heard this about musicians then I heard it about writers.
An agent's real job?
They "steal" your work and say "that's it!" and refuse to budge.
because any serious artist (music or writing) will agonize and hand-wring over it ad nauseum.
because at the end of the day, you have to get SOMETHING out the damn door.
yes, we write and we get no...
artist, editor, line editor, alpha reader, beta reader, proofer, market analyst, none of that.
we have to wing it on all those extra jobs.

just... you have to shovel something out the door.
or else you run the risk of spending YEARS crafting this ONE THING.
and even that might not be right.
heard it said we all have "X" number of bad novels inside us, and we have to get those out of our system.
and keep writing.

swing for the seats, damn it.
put numbers up on the board.
keep doing it.

 

[Dawnathon]

I think the hardest part of writing is the editing. Not only is it likely you'll have to do it multiple times, but when you already know the twists and turns of your own story, it can be easy to go on autopilot when what you really need is greater focus than when you wrote it.


As far as woes I don't understand, I'd have to go with lack of motivation. To be fair, I definitely get it to some extent, but I usually see that through a biological or logistical lens. If I'm lacking motivation, then a coffee or a nap is usually enough, or simply focusing on another aspect of the process. Even being mentally fried from a long writing session isn't really the same to me as lacking motivation. That's just being tired.

The hardest part for me is the ignition step. Once I get into the flow of writing or editing, it can be very hard to want to stop. It's just that it's hard to actually find the right time when I'm worried about X, Y, or Z that's going to force me to break out of that flow. You'll never see a grumpier Dawnathon than one who was forcibly taken out of her flow. It's funny how the second you start getting hyperfocused on a project, somehow that's the moment when everyone finally decides to start a conversation with you...

As far as woes go, I'd say the desire for attention is one I can't relate with. Some people can get very sensitive about being well-loved, or at least they want the money that top pop can give you, and I can sympathize, but it's something I've never been eager for myself. I just hope that the people who do read my writings get something out of it, even if they never say a word to me.

 

[Emotica]

If only I had amazing technology to let me type with my mind, I'd probably have finished three novels by now.

Even if that technology existed, I'm not sure it would help as much as you'd think
Some people use speech-to-text, but if I did that, the amount of editing required would drive me crazy. I could only imagine every unfiltered thought making it to paper.

The hardest part for me is the ignition step. Once I get into the flow of writing or editing, it can be very hard to want to stop. It's just that it's hard to actually find the right time when I'm worried about X, Y, or Z that's going to force me to break out of that flow. You'll never see a grumpier Dawnathon than one who was forcibly taken out of her flow. It's funny how the second you start getting hyperfocused on a project, somehow that's the moment when everyone finally decides to start a conversation with you...

As far as woes go, I'd say the desire for attention is one I can't relate with. Some people can get very sensitive about being well-loved, or at least they want the money that top pop can give you, and I can sympathize, but it's something I've never been eager for myself. I just hope that the people who do read my writings get something out of it, even if they never say a word to me.

Sometimes I'm editing and I have to write a new scene, and make slight narrative edits, and it really feels like when you're halfway done doing dishes and someone adds more plates.

As far as needing attention, I think it's a spectrum. I think every author would appreciate having a small following, even if it's just a dozen or two. Like you said, some people are focused on the money, or dreams of fame. I think that ultimately writers should write for the passion of it first most, at least if it's going to be creative writing.

 

[HarryGarland]

For me, the hardest part of being a writer would would be connecting the dots in a logically and emotionally coherent way. I want it to be as realistic as possible in an epic high fantasy setting and not rely on plot armor or convenience.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Finding the time to write when I have the energy and ideas. Unfortunately, the three things tend to come at different times altogether... especially because, once I start writing (or editing even), I tend to get lost in the process, so can't do it when time is critical.

A close second is keeping track of the names I've used to avoid repetition and keep from misspelling the weirder ones (Thellissandra, Mikledermius, Lor'I'anar...)

 

[Bimbanana]

The Forum

 

[TheKillingAlice]

The writing part.

I can always find the time, the inspiration, the ideas. I can come up with countless stories, shit posts, or long-term, multiple volume stories on a whim. I easily think of how I want things to sound in my head, envision scenes, origins, lores, characters, world building, etc.

It's just the writing. (technically typing)

If only I had amazing technology to let me type with my mind, I'd probably have finished three novels by now.

I wanted to call it "writer's block" but your words sum it up, so I second that.

I can come up big stories and a full-on lore on a whim; I can imagine scenes down to the tiniest detail, but as soon as I sit in front of a blank page, I just end up staring at it.
I have wished for stories to just be written directly from my mind for years and I HAVE written three novels already. Five, actually.

I also don't think there's any "writer's woe" that I can't get behind, because it's a creative process and the mind does odd things.

 

[GreenStudio]

Holding myself back from rushing into the "fun stuff."

 

[S.N.Nomad]

For me, editing is the hardest part. I can write for days but when it's time to sit down and edit . Second is trying to get readers.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

The Realisation how cut throat and underhanded the competition is, how important hitting the genres is, and how irrelevant everything else. In the end all art falls sadly to marketing.

 

[Bimbanana]

The Realisation how cut throat and underhanded the competition is, how important hitting the genres is, and how irrelevant everything. In the end all art falls sadly to marketing.

Agree kitty cat...

*pet her softly

 

[c37]

Self motivation was never a problem, plenty of songs deliver it to me. But motivation from outside has always put me down. Since i am a new writer, i get it. Many things are wrong in my first novel.

 

[Corty]

Advertising. I suck at self-promo, I need an agent or something