5 Things Writers Can Work On

Are you guilty of any of the five human problems above? None? Any? or all? They're good problems to work on in our everyday life but they can also apply to our writing life. Let's take a look at each one. 

1.  Trying to please everyone  It shouldn't take us long to figure out that this is nearly impossible. We cannot write to please our instructor, our writing group, our readers, our editors and ourselves at the same time. If I had to choose one, I'd go with writing to please myself. If I can do that, I will also please some of the others, as well. We've all heard that phrase Do your best. It's pretty simple but good advice. It's one step in pleasing ourself and some others, even if not everyone. 

2.  Fearing change  Change is not in our comfort zone. It makes us itch and squirm and sends butterflies fluttering in our tummies. If we want to move forward in our writing journey, we need to meet change head-on with a positive attitude. Maybe this change will be good for my writing. If it isn't, you can always 'unchange' whatever it was. Step our of your comfort zone and see what awaits.

3.  Living in the past  As people age, they tend to live in the past because they really aren't too thrilled with the present and they fear the future. The past is safe and so they prefer to stay there. What if you did that with your writing? Just because something worked in the past, it doesn't mean it will now, or later. There are trends in writing and writers need to keep up with them. I remember when children's picture books were featuring one mood kind of book after another. They were hot! And then they weren't. 

4.  Putting yourself down  This is so easy to do. Some writers do it internally with thoughts like I'll never write well enough to be published. or  The editor won't take work from someone like me. or I can't write worth a darn! Stop the negative attitude. Turn each of those thoughts into a positive with thoughts like If I keep working at it, my writing will improve enough to be published.  and Editors like to give newcomers a break now and then so I'll submit my work. and I know I can be a good writer if I keep working at it.

5.  Overthinking  For writers, we might term this 'overwriting' or putting too much thought into the revisions and editing process. Important as it is, there comes a time when you have to call it done. Keep doing it over and over and over and you could wreak havoc with the good things you'd written in the first place. Think about more than once but know where and when to draw the line and call it finished.