3 Habits Holding Back Your Writing

Its the things you do without realizing that can really trip you up

[@NiteOwl2000]

I knew #1 was coming and it’s literally my number one problem. I daydream about my superhero story at work, in the shower, at the gym, in bed, and it’s gotten to the point where my writing will never live up to the fantasy I’ve built in my brain. My other issue is not getting too heavy-handed with the exposition and making the plot feel organic rather than a checklist I’m checking off.

[@oldguyinstanton]

Overthinking, inappropriate comparing, procrastination.... very useful advice. LOL, one way I procrastinate is by watching KZbin writing videos.

[@solomon4554]

I relate to habit 1 way, way too much.

[@sarahseason1838]

Great video! I'd love to hear some of your throughts on querying/agents/publishing ect.

[@princegollygosh]

Love your videos. Good idea to cut away the bits where you look at your laptop screen. Forget about the laptop. Just talk to us!

[@thedreadlord2156]

These commentaries really help and inspire me to keep going.

[@stebbigunn7690]

One of the best advice I have ever gotten was to turn off the internet on phone and xomputer when ypu write. I for one am not a social media scroller, and need translate to write, but making sure you only use the ibternet during your writing time to reaserch some one detail (dont recomend, have taken over half an hiur to search for the correct word for something) Also one thing that helps me, might work for you is not to look at the page when writing. I close my eyes always till i am out of ideas, then i go over and fix mistakes just to repeat the progress, that way you arent worrying about perfection while writing, and it will not slow you down

[@nurabsal0x018c]

Don’t call me out like that! I think all 3 kinda go together for me. I’ve over-plotted and outlined to the exclusion of actually writing for a long time - really for all 3 reasons here. The past several months I’ve totally abandoned the process that I was using, and started in on a new way of looking at it. The result has been actually making my way through as of today most of a coherent first draft from material that I’ve been sitting on for a long time - the oldest “source” notes and attempts I have for this book are 8-10 years old. I’ve done more with it since late May or early June than I had in most the previous decade. It’s really something how reconfiguring attitude and habit changes things.

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

I have all three habits. Neither is holding me back. Thinking: My most creative and productive time is spent walking around town sketching passages (in non-ficton) or scenes (in fiction), in minute detail. I carry a notebook with me to write the results of this imagining down. This works wonders. I sometimes even do editing in my head first. Comparing: That's how I learn. And no, I don't find my writing lacking. It can surely be improved, in some ways I'm aware of and in many others I'm not aware of too, but it's not outright bad. The bad drafts are discarded and reworked at the thinking stage (see above). Procrastinating: Writing takes its time. Even when procrastinating, some part of my brain is cooking the text I'm working on in the background. It won't work if I try to speed it up (except maybe by going out on a long walk with a notebook; see above).

[@onemin8729]

It might not apply to you but some of them definitely do to me haha, it's mostly if you do them in a circle you know? When you don't have a solid base with how you see your own work some of these habits can really affect it

[@onemin8729]

I am currently on the first one, I do try to write anything related to a story as to not forget it, but I'm always in this state of feeling the "preparation" to write a specific story is not enough and just keep thinking and thinking. It certainly feels good to imagine and go crazy with it, but if it never reaches the paper, well...

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Thanks to a certain show, I call over-thinking "Pulling a Mordecai".

[@toweypat]

In fairness, Pippin and Sam and Merry were highly successful people.

[@AlbaPoulzen]

I'm stuck on editing. My manuscript has been rewritten multiple times, and now I hate my book. 🤮

[@eskarina8842]

I'm always shifting between 1 and 3...

[@jaceydurland9098]

There are “writers” of non-fiction, “writers” of newspapers, “writers” of vacation brochures, et cetera. *And none of which know how to write a novel.* Thus, when the common term “writer” is used to describe someone who is actually a storyteller, the description is a bit vague and not exactly indicative of what they really do. A “writer”, in this context, is first and foremost a creator and teller of stories. *It is their job to create and sell an imaginative experience.* It just so happens to be that the way the story is transferred to the customer (the medium) is words on pages (a book) rather than a film or a radio broadcast. In other words, the written novel is simply a *vehicle* from the author’s imagination to that of the reader’s. Therefore, the storyteller’s priority is to dream first. Now, it is important to scribble it down on paper so you won’t forget it. But it is *essential* to be steeped in your imagination in order to come up with your story. *Stories don’t come from staring at a blank page-they come from pacing the floor lost in the fantasy of one’s own mind.* Though, of course, you want to have a container to store what you’ve dreamed up, and that’s called the page. Anyone can write, but it takes years of commitment to tell great stories!

[@bennobenny750]

Attempting to make a grand statement with my writing is something that held me back for a year. I've since learned that fiction is primarily a form of entertainment and joy, and the writing process should reflect that.