6 Ways to Break the Habit of Insecurity #IWSG

All writers will experience a level of insecurity at some time--some more than others, some more frequently than others. It’s a natural and inevitable part of being a writer. However, this feeling of insecurity can become a repeating beastie that lurks around for too long and inhibits your creativity until your writing comes to a shuddering stop. It can become so bad that the moment you sit down to write, the insecurity flares up again. This is bad. And this is what happens when your insecurity has become a habit.

It’s time to break the habit of insecurity, and below are 6 ways that might help:

1. Recognise it’s a habit not an addiction, and that means the problem isn’t insurmountable, no matter how dark those insecurities feel. Plus, knowing there’s a fixable problem is the first step to making a change.

2. Learn what triggers your insecurities. If reading reviews turns your insecurities into a bad rash, then stop reading those reviews. If the glare of a blank page is the trigger, then try filling that page as fast as possible, allowing yourself to put down complete rubbish. At least then the page won’t be blank anymore and you’ll be able to get on with editing. If it’s an insensitive critique partner, then have a conversation with that partner, or find another one.

3. Change your environment. This one works like a dream for me. Often it’s just the cue of sitting at your computer and opening the document that’s enough to trigger a multitude of insecurities. Try changing where you write, even how you write. Try writing in a different room, or at the local coffee shop or park. Try handwriting for a while or dictation.

4. Schedule your writing time. This needs some discipline. Set a specific time to write every day and stick to it—even if it’s only 15 minutes a day. But make sure you spend that time writing. This does not include checking your social media, going through your emails, researching, staring at the monitor, or anything else you might’ve used to justify not writing.

5. Stop focusing on the negatives, i.e., how much you didn’t achieve, how you got a one star review, how your critique partner didn’t love that scene you thought was gold, how little time you got to write, how few words you scratched out this week. Start focusing on the positives, i.e., how much you did achieve, how much you love writing, how you got an awesome four star review, how you kept writing despite those insecurities nipping at your heels. Train your thoughts, so when you start to feel insecure, you won’t let it continue, or at the very least, you won’t be debilitated by those insecurities.

6. Be kind to yourself and take it slow. Don’t expect the immediate disappearance of insecure thoughts. Insecurity is what we do as writers. It’s part of the creative self. If those insecurities come screaming back—and they will—don’t flog yourself over another perceived failure. Just continue to work through it

Know that all habits can be broken with a little work and discipline. They may not break at the snap of a finger, but over time you can form a new positive way of thinking which will aid your creativity, not hinder.

How do you work through insecurities?
 

This post was written for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.

4 Benefits of Listening to Your Characters

Nothing will pull me out of a story faster than a lack of character motivation. It’s a sure sign that the author didn’t listen to the characters. Sure characters can be obstinate, even infuriating at times, but they’re worth listening to, and here’s why:

Character Believability
Characters know more about themselves than the author does. Like an old friend, we think we know a character, but when we continue to listen to them, we continue to discover more about them. When we know our characters, getting deep into their histories and personalities, their likes and dislikes, they become real on the page, even when those details often don’t make it into the story.

Story Direction
When we listen to our characters they will tell us where the story needs to go. My latest work in progress has an ending that’s been rewritten twice and needs to be rewritten again, all because I failed to listen to my main character. Clearly she is smarter than me.

Breaking Writer’s Block
Characters don’t have the same hang-ups as writers. They don’t care if the story is good enough, or if it’s ‘The One’ which will finally catch the eye of a dream agent. Therefore, they have a clearer head so they don’t second guess themselves. They will continue to guide us through the story—if we are willing to listen.

Writer’s Sanity
Characters will act up even more when we don’t listen to them. Often we’ll end up with a bunch of rebellious characters who’ll refuse to play their part. So we might as well listen to them and save ourselves some grief.

Do you listen to your characters? If so, when do you listen to them?

5 Reasons to Shed the Genius Within

One of the problems we often have to face as writers is thinking our work is pure genius. We've come up with the next bestseller, we've written a masterpiece of prose, producers will be scrambling to get the movie rights to our story. Wonderful dreams, but they aren't necessarily a good thing. Below I've listed the reasons why we should shed the genius within us.

1. A genius doesn't need to work hard to achieve great results. If we think our work is genius, then we will be less likely to seek second opinions. We will cloud our minds in fairy floss fantasies of the brilliance of our work and fail to see it needs at least another two editing passes (minimum) before it's ready.

2. We need permission to fail. As a genius, the expectations as so high, that we begin to throw those expectations on ourselves. We begin to judge our work too early and think we need to achieve perfection. Inevitably writer's block will come knocking because we can't meet those expectations. We need to give ourselves permission to fail so we have the freedom to explore, experiment and improve.

3. It's not realistic. Yes, we should dream, but we need to dream with our feet firmly planted on the ground. If we forget the realism of our dreams, then we could fall a long way when those dreams fail to realise.

4. We need to know we are normal. There is a perception that geniuses don't make mistakes, but even they get it wrong. Recently Einstein's theory of relativity has come under question with scientists possibly pushing objects faster than the speed of light. As writers, we need to know that when we have doubts, it's okay and it's normal. We need to know it's sometimes a struggle to get the words down on the page and that's nothing unusual. 

5. A genius stands alone. They are set apart from the rest of the world and are often disconnected from the majority. But writers need support and we need to make connections with our readers.

This post was written for the Insecure Writers' Support Group. 

How often do you think your work is sheer brilliance only to discover it could do with some improvement? What do you do to keep your feet on the ground?

Just Write

This is my motto and my motivator: Just write

This is what I tell people when they ask me how to write a novel: Just write.

This is the greatest advice I can give about writing: Just write.

This is what I do when I hit the dreaded writer’s block: Just write.

This is what I do when I get discouraged:

I just keep writing.

Full steam ahead.

Do you have a motto or a motivational phrase?

Contest: Theresa is also holding a 500 followers contest with lots of brilliant prizes. Be sure to pop on over and check it out.

5 Causes and Solutions to Writer’s Block

Every writer experiences the dreaded writer’s block at some point in their career. Sometimes it’s a hiccup in the flow and sometimes it’s a mighty wall to surmount. Whatever it might be, there is a reason for it and there is a way through to the other side.

1. When self-doubt causes the block:
We may tell ourselves we aren’t good enough. We may think we are failures if we can’t get our first manuscript published. We may learn a new writing rule and try to apply it only to find our words sound worse, not better. All these damaging thoughts can fool us into thinking we’ve gone backwards without any hope of moving forward again. At these times we need to be kind to ourselves. We need to remind ourselves why we write. We need to remember the passion. And we need to keep writing.

2. When our characters cause the block:
Sometimes our characters will cause us trouble. They’ll refuse to behave in the story. No matter how much we wrestle with them they won’t budge. At these times we need to try to listen to what they have to say. We need to try taking them down the path they wish to travel. But keep writing.

3. When the hard slog causes the block:
Sometimes we might wonder why we put ourselves through the pain everyday. When we catch a free moment, rather than putting our feet up, we write. Rather than spending time with friends or family, we write. We begin to grow resentful of our writing career. At these times, take a break. Spend time with friends and family. Relationships are important. They are often our inspiration for writing. Yes, writing is hard work, but we need some play time as well.

4. When distractions cause the block:
As I mentioned in my last post, distractions will happen. When they become so great they cause a block in our creativity. We may have to pay attention to why we are getting ourselves distracted. If the reason is to avoid writing, then we have to get over it and refocus. If the reason is because we’ve hit a slow point in our story and we’ve grown bored, then we need to either jump ahead, or reassess what we have written. In these cases the key is to keep writing. Of course, if the distraction is the kitchen on fire, then I’d suggest the key would be to deal with that instead.

5. When lack of time causes the block:
At times we may have to face daunting deadlines or tight schedules. We may be to struggling to juggle all our commitments. At times like these we may have to prioritise and reassess our schedules. We may have to accept we aren’t superhuman and either ask for help with the non essentials like cleaning the house and cooking dinners, or reschedule so our goals are easier to reach.

Do you have any other techniques for breaking through the wall? What are the things that block you most frequently?