Write Every Day Part 3: Why Aren’t You Writing?

If you want to be a successful writer, you have to write. Nothing else matters. So why, then, aren’t you writing?

Ask Yourself Why

Since you are reading this blog post, you must struggle with the process, but have you ever asked yourself the actual question? Why didn’t I write today, yesterday, this week, or month? What is really stopping you from sitting down and working on your manuscript?

In order to get an answer to this question, I would recommend setting down, by hand, if possible, your thoughts on why you are not doing what you want to do, ie write. Let your mind think freely and just write down your thoughts.

You can also use meditation, mindfulness, or just a good old-fashioned walk in the woods to examine your lack of motivation. Do whatever works for you.

Whatever technique you use, you may be surprised by what you find.

Lack of Confidence?

There are several common reasons why writers don’t write, but it often boils down to a deep-seated lack of confidence. Whatever its manifestation – thinking we are too busy, not having the headspace to write, not knowing what to write, lacking inspiration, or not being able to decide which project to choose – it often boils down to doubt; will what I write be good enough?

You’re not alone. I’d wager that at some point in their career, every writer feels this way. Many writers feel this way all the time, but they carry on because they want to be writers. They push through the blocks that the little voice of their fearful subconscious sets for them and write anyway.

Remember when you are examining the reason for your lack of motivation or commitment to writing, fear of failure is very, very common.

Once you’ve found out why you are not writing, make sure you deal with it. Consider your inability to write as a business problem that you need to solve. Take away – if you can – the emotional side of the issue and just consider practically what you can do to make writing every day easier.

Perhaps you have Writer's Block? Find here some tips and tricks that I found useful when I was blocked.

Negative Thinking?

The reason many authors aren’t writing as regularly as they’d like to often stems from uncertainty and negative thinking.  I struggle with this damaging feeling all the time.

But I keep reminding myself that my previous books have been much loved by my readers. I also remind myself that the first draft is just that, a draft. There will be many more drafts, many corrections, and rewrites, some of which I’ll make myself and some of which my professional editor will suggest for me. But I cannot correct, rewrite or edit a blank page.

Gaining confidence is the key to getting yourself into a writing routine that will bring success. But how to do it if you are just starting out and nobody believes you can become a writer? Perhaps you’ve had a few unsuccessful rounds with literary agents, trying to get your book accepted by a publisher. Perhaps you have a pile of refusal letters buried deep inside your drawer or stored in a file on your email server. (Believe me, I have a veritable forest of ‘No, thank you’ replies from the days when you got actual letters from agents and publishers.) 

Perhaps you have had a few books published, either independently or traditionally, but they are not doing as well as you hoped?

In both cases, ask yourself what it is that you want. Getting a literary agent and a publishing deal has never been more difficult than it is today. In most cases, a refusal has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It’s everything to do with what the agent thinks they can sell, what their current list looks like, and what they consider fashionable. Most importantly, it is one person’s point of view.

If you have a few books out, and they are not selling, it may be difficult to find the confidence to keep writing. Believe me, I’ve been here too.

However, there could be a multitude of reasons why your current list isn’t selling. Most of the reasons will be to do with marketing: the cover, the blurb, the genre, the metadata, the sales channel, or the lack of successful advertising. These are just a few of the possible reasons. Did you notice that I didn’t even mention the writing?

Meet the Fear Head-on

To get the confidence to write every day, you need to deal with the fear that we all have inside us. The little voice that tells us that we will never succeed sits inside every writer, I guarantee. It tells us that no one will ever want to read the books we produce and we will never become best-selling writers. 

We need to face this fear head-on. 

What if no one ever wants to read the book I’m writing? This will not be the case if you have done your homework and use professionals to help you edit and proofread your manuscript and produce a good cover, but let’s say you get only a handful of reads and reviews. What do you do? You dust yourself off and write another book. That one will be better than the last (they always are; remember writing is a craft and you improve the more you do it).

Recognize the fear you have inside. If you can’t identify it, use methods like the ones I mentioned above to reveal your innermost thoughts. Analyze your fear and deal with it by riding it. Show that fearful person inside you that you are stronger than they think!

Write Every Day

In the next post in this series, I’ll give you a few practical tips on how to establish a sustainable writing routine.

My book, WRITE EVERY DAY, which has more detailed advice and practical tips, is now out in paperback. The Kindle version will out on 29 November. You can find both here.

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