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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

HAS IT ALL CAUGHT UP WITH YOU? ... INSECURE WRITERS SUPPORT



  HAS IT ALL CAUGHT UP WITH YOU?


You're in good company:

Mark Twain

Mark Twain's brilliant authorship of American classics such as Huckleberry Finn might have had its roots in his tendency to depression. 

But this famous depressed writer also lived with a lot of family drama that could have contributed to his stress and depression.

Depression's role with creative writing will also be a function of the individual writers, their personal history, their circumstances, and the nature of their depressions.

 

Stephen King

Stephen King, a modern master of suspense and terror, has quite a body of work to his name. 

Yet his fame and talent didn't forestall the devastating effects of the drugs and alcohol he allegedly had been using to cope with ongoing unhappiness.

Substance abuse and alcohol use often play roles as people struggling with depression attempt to self-medicate. During those years, this famous depressed writer also produced some of his best-known works, 

such as The Shining, Pet Cemetery, and Carrie.

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were known for their glamorous and tumultuous lifestyle, full of wild parties, travel, and larger-than-life characters.

The Great Gatsby remains his best-known work, but other novels such as The Beautiful and the Damned detail a lot of the same ground. 

Their glittering life had a dark side, punctuated by alcoholism and depression for both of them, and their legacy includes being famous depressed writers.


HOW DO YOU KEEP ON WRITING DESPITE FEAR, DOUBT, & SELF-CRITICISM?


1.) ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU'RE WEREN'T AFRAID OR DOUBTFUL.

The mere act of doing usually makes the fear recede in just a few minutes.” Pretend, just for a moment, that rejection or failure isn’t the end of life as you know it.


2.) STOP INDULGING YOUR FEARS, DISCOURAGEMENTS, REJECTIONS, & DASHED DREAMS.

Much as we’re driven to write, we feel we must be in the mood – as if the clouds should part, the sun should shine and every possible interruption should be silenced.

 None of that matters. 

Write anyway. 

Don’t think about how you feel or if it’s a perfect time to write or that you have a thousand other things to do. 

Write anyway. 

You have nothing to share and nothing to sell if there are no words on the page.


3.) REMEMBER THAT REJECTION ISN'T NECESSARILY ABOUT YOUR WRITING. 

You have to be totally dedicated to your writing. Forget about rejections – they’re a mandatory part of any career.

A writer writes.

If you feel you’ll keep writing even if you never get published, then you’re a real writer.

The markets want they want.  Tastes will change.  

You will grow as a writer if you do not give up.


4.) SEE PAST YOUR EXCUSES TO YOUR REAL FEARS

Writers need to look at their fears directly. 

“Recognize them for what they are, and be honest with yourself about why you’re not moving forward with your writing goals.

This can be difficult because we give excuses rather than facing our fears.


5.) SET SMALL GOALS

Long-term goals are great for inspiration, 

but keep a list of small, attainable goals, too, and allow yourself to feel proud when you achieve them.

Reward yourself for finishing a chapter or short story.

Recognize that sending a few query letters to agents takes time, thought, and effort, and don’t discount the success.


39 comments:

  1. That #5 is what I'm working on right now. A small, attainable, daily goal.

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    1. Right -- two pages of fully edited pages a day yields two fine novels in one year. Not bad, huh? :-) Thanks for visiting, Holly. During November, the cyber-cobwebs are thick on my blog!! Ouch.

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  2. Excellent tips. Sad how many resort to destructive means to cope. I'm blessed I have a source of strength and don't need any of that.

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    1. The Father is also the wind in my sails. So often life has poorly prepared people for fame or stress. Have a great mid-week!

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  3. Great post, Roland, but not everyone struggling with depression can write their way out of it. When it gets bad enough, it's a disease, and then not even faith or good thoughts or words on a page will help.

    Thankfully, medical intervention can and usually does if the person can muster up the energy to get it.

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    1. Abraham Lincoln, Twain, and Hemingway all suffered with depression. They found it eased when they did something positive.

      Of course, anyone suffering from depression should seek medical help -- yet, depression is a devious condition ...

      because the symptoms it creates can discourage you from completing the very actions or seeking the help that would begin your recovery.

      Lack of energy, low self-esteem and dwindling excitement are some of the symptoms that make it hard to get out of a depressed state.

      First, you must recognize and counter the mental self-attacks inherent in depression. A critical inner voice, often born in the maelstrom of childhood, derails our attempts at living a healthy life unless we recognize it and counter its false accusations

      THE FEELING GOOD HANDBOOK is a great aid in that. It is by David Burns and has helped many.

      Be active.

      It's a physiological fact that activity fights depression. Get your heart rate up 20 minutes a day, five days a week, and it has been scientifically proven that you will feel better emotionally.

      Don't isolate yourself.

      Even the simple act of putting yourself in a social atmosphere can lift your spirits.

      Everyone struggles at times, and your depression does not define who you are or single you out from others.

      Do Things You Once Liked to Do ... even if you don't feel like it.

      Though easier said than done, the times you feel most like slumping on the couch are the moments you should force yourself to take a walk, cook a meal, or call a friend.

      Activities that help you calm down and that raise your spirits are important, even simple things like baking brownies, taking a bath, or listening to upbeat music. Act against the critical inner voice that tells you nothing will help. Remember its only purpose is to keep you from feeling better.

      I did not mean to downplay depression. It is a serious condition that demands an active response from us when we suffer from it.

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  4. Hi Roland ... so many struggle and we only learn after they become 'famous' ... and they cope - we can learn from their struggles and understand more easily. Keeping on writing is the essential thing, dealing with things as they turn up - so they don't waste valuable time and then writing and writing ... really useful thoughts here .. cheers Hilary

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    1. So true. Many that we would not expect have suffered or are suffering with anxiety and stress They manage by doing what needs to be done to get themselves feeling better and get their lives working once more. Always good seeing you here.

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  5. I am going to bookmark this post, or pin it, or something. Roland, you always have the write/right words. :) We all struggle with those days when rejection, prose that seems to be going nowhere, and other things get us down, but we can keep writing through it. And the next day or two, it starts to look brighter.

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    1. I find a good night's sleep blunts the edge of my problems a bit. Those around us may not look it, but many of them are having such trouble as to make us ashamed of feeling down. :-) Thank you for your very kind words.

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  6. Your caring about people, be they other writers or someone like me, shines through here. If I were a writer, I would save this and refer to it often. I guess it would serve to help all of us with our lives ups and downs. Loved this post.

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    1. Inger, it is so good to see you here. Life is so harsh with so many. I wish I were wiser or richer! I am so happy you liked this post. Give Samson a hug for me. Faith, too, if she will stay still long enough!! :-)

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  7. Glad you included that there is a dark side even to the glitterati (Fitzgerald and King). It's not just about writing, we have to write and deal with life. Check your email, Roland, I sent something but it usually ends up in your Junk file. . .

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    1. I just found your email, D G. I wrote you an email as soon as I got home. There is a scene in a Sherlock Holmes story where he states that if we could fly over the homes around us, we would be so grateful for our own situation that we would rush home in gratitude.

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  8. Luckily I don't struggle with depression. I'm the weird laid back writer who rolls with the punches pretty well :) Excellent points on the rest, especially writers write! So true. And love Neil. He's the best. Great video.

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    1. Yes, Neil has such a unique view and wisdom for us, doesn't he? :-)

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  9. This is the GREATEST post. It's nice to see that famous writers had/have their own issues and succeeded.

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    1. Sometimes I think it WAS their issues that helped them to write well as with Twain and Fitzgerald. I am so happy you liked my post so much. :-)

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  10. Yes even the most famous writers had their angst. F Scott Fitzgerald mainly wrote because he wanted to pay the bills. Our lives would be so much poorer if many famous writers gave into their depressions and stopped writing. I especially admire Hemingway here. He set his 5am-12midday writing time and tried not to deviate. Thank God!

    Denise Covey November co-host IWSG

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    1. Indeed, we are blessed to have all-too-human writers choose to persevere and keep on writing. Our books may be the only legacy some of us will ever have. :-)

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  11. I received three rejections last month, and yes, it affected me deeply. But the minute someone says I can't - it's like a dare, I pick back up and do! It's always been my response, but does it hurt, debilitate (for a short period of time) and make me question everything. Sure, but it fades. I move on!

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    1. Rejections sure sting, don't they? I admire your Can-Do Spirit. If we give up, we will never know if we could have made it if only we kept on trying, right?

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  12. As you know, Roland, I've pretty much gotten over my writing problems by pushing the publishing part out of my head. Or basically I just think that I'll eventually self-publish my latest book, which helps me to concentrate on just telling a story that I want to hear.

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    1. I think your path is wise: to focus on telling a story you want to hear. That is basically what I do, too. :-)

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  13. I'm lucky to not struggle with depression or addiction or any of that stuff. But it's true that some of the most creative people out there are also some of the most troubled.

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    1. Each of us struggles with something as writers -- writer's block, not enough time, the dragging inertia of the middle of our WIP's, or something else. We just have to keep putting one word after another in our chain of prose, right? :-)

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  14. Tried to comment, but not sure if it went through, so apologies is this is a duplicate.

    Great tips and inspiration! The timing is perfect for me as I undertake my first NaNoWriMo challenge. Thanks - Ellen

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    1. Wishing you the best in your first NaNoWriMo challenge. Your first comment must not have gone through. Glad you liked my post enough to comment. :-)

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  15. I just keep on a trucking and have fun with it. Being all depressed and doom and gloom would be far too umm gloomy for me haha

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  16. Thank you Roland for the great words of encouragement!!!!

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  17. Great tips! Carrie Vaughn makes tiered goals. Monthly, yearly, and long-term. I don't remember how she split it, but I love the idea. In a month I want to accomplish x, in a year y, in 5 years z, so on.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Sorry late in commenting trying to NaNo--Great tips and enjoyable post
      Juneta Writer's Gambit

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    3. It is a great thing to have a grid upon which to plot your days -- still, life has a way of intruding! But it does provide you momentum and purpose, right?

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  18. Sorry late in commenting trying to NaNo--Great tips and enjoyable post
    Juneta Writer's Gambit

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  19. Sorry late in commenting trying to NaNo--Great tips and enjoyable post
    Juneta Writer's Gambit

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    1. Best of success with NaNo.You just made the ghost of Hemingway start grumbling again!! ::-)

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