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Two things that stop beginner writers from writing
You might find it tough, but there will come a time when you have to stop making excuses and write your book.
You’ve dreamed of being a writer since you were a child. You have notepads of half started stories languishing in a cupboard, a drawer or even the attic.
So what are those two excuses?
Excuse Number One
If you’re a beginner writer the excuse you most likely give yourself is that you aren’t a good enough writer. This simply isn’t true. Believe me.
Why should you believe me?
Because of the number of excellent writers I know who shake their head in disbelief when I tell them how much I enjoyed their stories. Who are gifted storytellers but can’t believe they have what it takes to engage a reader.
I know because I used to be the same.
You tell yourself you’re not good enough because you lack confidence. You don’t think you have the natural talent that is absolutely necessary to write a first draft.
Because you don’t have the confidence, you dread that prospect of sitting at your desk. You fear you’ll sit there staring at an empty page. And so, you find you have the washing up still to do or some ironing or maybe even some bills to file!
I was the same. I was so scared of failure I placed one excuse after the other in my path. I ensured no manuscript ever got finished, let alone redrafted and improved.
First school, then university, then work and eventually family life were just the avoidance tactics I needed to never get on and finish the job!
That changed when someone recommended I read Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird. What a game-changer it was for me.
Bird by Bird
Anne tells the story of how her brother had a school project on birds to write. He left it to the last minute and then panicked about how he was going to write a paper in one night.
Anne’s father sat down with him and told him not to get his knickers in a twist, but simply take it one bird at a time. Eventually he’d get to the end.
This was the lesson I needed to make a mindset shift. I finally understood that I had to stop making excuses and write my book one bird at a time.
The Slight Edge, Jeff Olsen
Later, when I began my entrepreneurial journey, another book was recommended to me. This time it was The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. This book taught me that all I needed to do was a little bit every day.
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know just how much I talk about this book! Olsen’s mantra is, it’s easy to do something, it’s easy not to. I realised that all I had to do was write a little each day.
That’s the same for you. Your life is busy. You have a job, you have children, you have other caring responsibilities and a social life. How can you fit writing into the mix, especially when the very idea fills you with dread?
Well, by taking one bird at a time, and by doing just a little bit every day, you break your project down into manageable chunks of time. Time you are in control of. Time you are not scared of.
Excuse Number 2
Excuse number 2 is that you don’t have the time to write. This one I absolutely understand. I used to tell myself that all the time.
I’d say, I have three children all under the age of 5. By the time they are in bed I am exhausted, there’s no way I have time to write.
But, well, that wasn’t strictly true. What I needed was to learn how to manage my time better. Turned out that was easier than I thought!
I listened to an interview with Elizabeth Kostova, who wrote the wonderful novel, The Historian. It’s quite the tomb, and is an amazing retelling of Dracula.
She too had three young children, and she had to write when she found the time. She told her audience that perhaps she would have 20 minutes one day, and half an hour another day.
If that was all the time she had to write, that’s when she would write. It took her ten years but she finished The Historian, it became a bestseller and now she writes full time.
You too can find the time
One of my favourite writers is the Edinburgh based ES Thomson and writes wonderful historical crime books.
By day she is a university lecturer and a single mother to two boys. At night she is a writer. She must schedule the time she needs to write ahead of time.
That’s the same for you. You must schedule out your time to write, otherwise it will never happen. Look at your diary for the next seven days, when can you fit in a 10 or 20 minute time slot to write?
You only need to do this two or three times a week and you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done.
If you need a little extra help to get those writing sessions in your diary, check out my mini-course, 3 Easy Steps To Start Writing Your Novel. It’ll help you get started.
A word of encouragement
You are not alone! This level of fear and procrastination is widespread and completely normal. In time you will grow in confidence and even though you’ll never feel you write as well as your literary heroes, you’ll be able to appreciate your work and even be proud of it.
4 tips to overcome writer anxiety
Tauri Cox offers some strategies to overcome the fear of failure and imposter syndrome we all struggle with. I’ve mentioned my favourites below:
- Remember that all first drafts suck. Just get it down on the page and worry about how good it is later
- Break your project down into small chunks. It might be to write the next paragraph, page or chapter. Don’t think of the enormity of the project, but the one thing you have to do next.
- Celebrate small wins. Give yourself a pat on the back, break out the chocolate, when you finish that difficult chapter or reach the halfway point. Give yourself credit for what you do achieve, don’t berate yourself for what you haven’t written yet.
- Take “aspiring” out of your vocabulary.If you write, you are a writer. Use the language that is natural and comfortable to you. You don’t need big words to move someone to tears or scare them silly!
Letting go of your fears is hard, but it is doable. Let go of perfectionism by writing regularly and building your confidence.
Write regularly by scheduling in small chunks of time that you will show up for.
If this article was useful, you’ll love:
If you’ve been working on your novel for years (perhaps even decades) the maybe it's time to consider working with a coach.
If you have multiple versions of your novel and you don’t know which works best, are scared nobody will like your book and don't feel like a 'real' writer, then my guess is coaching is the right next step for you.
Find out more and sign up for your free Clarity Call here: https://emmadhesi.com/personal-coaching/
Emma Dhesi is author mindset coach and bestseller author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer’s block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.
She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.
Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.
Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!
