Are You Happy With Your Writing Life?

 

Do problems in your writing world make you upset, unhappy, or angry? Do you feel more frustrated than satisfied when you are working on a writing project? 

It might be time to step back and take a good look at your writing life. The list of questions below could be of some help.

A.  Do you look forward to starting a new writing project?

B.  Does writing to deadlines make you nervous or sick to your stomach?

C.  Can you eventually solve most of the problems you encounter when writing?

D.  Do you still get a thrill when your work is accepted for publication?

E.  Have you learned how to handle rejections?

F.  Is writing a chore or a pleasure most of the time?

G.  Do you spend a lot of time worrying about your writing life?

H.  Do you get excited when you begin a new writing project?

I.   Are you happy when you're writing?

J.  Is finding time for writing a major problem?

K. Do you enjoy attending writing workshops and conventions?

L.  Does finding a new story idea make you feel excited?

M. Does your family support your writing journey?

N.  Do you deal with self-doubt on a regular basis?

O.  Do you detest the process of revising and editing?

P.   Do you feel satisfied when you finish a writing project?

Q.  What made you want to be a writer?

There are more questions that you can ask yourself, but the list above will help you see a picture of your writing life. Are the positives and negatives fairly well-balanced? Or were your answers heavier on one side or the other? 

If the heavy side was the negatives, then it's time to ask yourself whether you want to continue with your writing journey or call it quits. Don't be in a rush to say you probably should quit. Instead, ask yourself how you can change some of those negatives into positives. Attitude plays a role here. If you want to continue to pursue your writing journey, you can change things slowly but surely. Set small goals and work to achieve them. 

If your answers resulted in a long list of positives, feel satisfied and keep on writing. If you had even a few negatives, consider working on them to make that positive list even longer.

All writers have moments when we feel like we shouldn't continue, moments when we are unhappy with our writing life, moments when we don't know how to solve the problems. It's part of being a writer, but when those feelings completely take over your writing life, it's time to step back and make some decisions.