Why I Don 't Be Too Hard On Yourself

It was another average school night and the red letters on my alarm clock read midnight. My tired eyes stared at the blank word document on the laptop, my mind devoid of ideas. The prompt for this week’s creative writing essay was about bizarre situations. Usually, my mind would be overflowing with ideas like a river, and I would get the assignment done on the first day. Three days passed, and I still had no ideas. I was officially afflicted with the notorious writer’s block I had heard so much of. There was this feeling of having an empty void in my mind, and having uncertainty over what to write next, whether it is over the prompt or the next words. Closing the laptop in defeat and accepting the reality that I would receive a failing grade for the paper, I shut the laptop and trudged over to my bed and dove under the covers. At least I would not suffer the consequences of my actions in the temporary

There are many who strive to become famous writers and although some succeed, many do not find such great prosperity. In the words of bestselling author Stephen King, “while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one,” (142). King’s thesis from his novel On Writing can be debated because with “hard work, dedication, and timely help” it is possible for a writer of any skill level to improve to become better. On Writing is intended to teach the basic skills of writing so readers can develop writing skills to progress to be better writers. If one has passion for writing, patience, and the willingness to learn they will succeed in becoming great writers.

Writing can be time consuming and each author must be passionate in their piece. Vetter explains, “The truth is that writing is a blood sport […] which is why those who are any good at it look older than their contemporaries, snap at children on the street, live alone.” Becoming a good writer takes persistence and patience. As an individual

Writing is a skill that many authors use to show their style or qualities. Writing is such a great experience and it allows you to tell stories, or speak your opinions. It gives you opportunities to speak up and show your worth. There is two important steps for writing, one is to always think positive, and two is always believe in what you have to say. Many people struggle with writing at times and that's because they haven't thought out their ideas all the way or showed their full potential yet. It takes time to become a good writer.

As a writer, I find myself getting lost. Typically, when I go to start writing I hit a brick wall. It’s as if all my thoughts suddenly escape my mind and I draw a blank. It takes me forever to conjure up some form of a thesis and then takes even longer to figure out what I should write to support it in a way that makes sense. Then, attempting to find a way to organize my ideas and put them together in cohesive paragraphs seems like an impossible task in the moment. It is not uncommon for me to get flustered and just throw something down on the paper because I get anxious seeing how much work is left to do. If I end up going back to read it over prior to submission,

When I sit to write, I have to think about what I want to say. This is not easy for me as I tend to think about several things at once. Clearing my mind and focusing on the writing task is a challenge in itself. I do not consider myself a strong writer and find it intimidating especially when I know it will be critiqued. The sense of failure when seeing the paper I worked so hard on look like the newest local headline of a recent murder is disheartening for me. I assume I am being overly critical of myself but those feelings seem to be redeemed when I look over the aftermath of what was my wonderful work of mental art.

Writing successfully may be difficult, but once you learn about how to voice your ideas, it can be made possible. From the prompt “Shitty First Drafts” Anne Lamotte states an inevitably true remark about all writers. Lamotte states,” The right words and

Great writing, like anything of real value, does not just happen in an instant. Diamonds take time to form, people take time to grow, knowledge takes time to learn, and good writing takes time to think about1. It should incubate in the mind for a little while until it is ready to hatch, just like an egg.2 In Charlotte’s Web, one of the main characters Charlotte demonstrates that writing is something that takes time to think about. In response to Wilbur’s question, “How are you going to save me?,” Charlotte replies, “I don’t really know. But I’m working on a plan” (pg. 63). Charlotte here establishes that when you come up with an idea, one might not always know where the idea is going to go, or how it is going to get there. Therefore, she shows

"To write to be a writer, I have to trust and believe in myself as a speaker, as a voice for the images. I have to believe that can communicate with images and words that I can do it well. A lack of belief in my creative self is a lack of belief in my total self and vice versa- I cannot separate my writing from any part of my life. It is all one" (95).

“Once you take time to figure out your beliefs about you as a writer, and about writing itself, you can begin to see where you hold yourself back from actually writing in the first place (Litchfield-Fink).” The article “The Real Reason Why You Can’t Write” by Esther Litchfield-Fink, is going over how people that want to write or be writers, are limited by their beliefs. Esther goes over a “secret” about writing that helps overcome this problem and can make anyone a successful writer. With being optimistic and having positive beliefs you can accomplish your goal of being a writer.

Lynda Barry’s “Two Questions”, Neil Gaiman’s “8 Good Writing Practices” and Jenny Lawson’s “And That’s Why I’ll Never Leave Twitter” all discuss how the writing process is not always simple. It requires a lot of patience, and nothing is going to be perfect the first time around. All three of the author’s have a purpose that serves to describe each of their own struggles with the writing process and how to overcome them.

Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” There is a feeling of greatness and satisfaction in reading and thinking about different situations, of looking at things form the point of view of another. It is here, in the art of story and of writing fantastical literature, in which I have found both my passion and, as I believe at this time in my life, calling. There is more to telling a story than simply pulling story elements from thin air. In a miniscule nutshell, it takes, to various degrees, planning, delving into psychology, and research.

Stories are told through various forms of literature, and the overall point of telling a story is to convey a message, a meaning that the author wants the reader to interpret and understand. The author does

I love reading books and telling stories. I choose stories and books that I can relate to. When I feel a connection with the writer, I enjoy the book more. Using my experiences as a reader, I try to find ways to connect with my audience while writing and I found that story telling is the key to that connection. Storytelling is a great element to use when writing. It is not only a way to grab the audience’s attention; it is also a way to connect with them. I’m a great storyteller, because I always add my personal experiences to my writing and it helps me connect with my

Writing has always been something I dread. It’s weird because I love talking and telling stories, but the moment I have to write it all down on paper, I become frantic. It’s almost as if a horse race just begun in my mind, with hundreds of horses, or words, running through my mind, unable to place them in chronological order. Because I struggle to form satisfying sentence structure, it takes me hours, sometimes even days, to write one paper. It’s not that I think I’m a “bad writer,” I just get discouraged easily. Needless to say, I don’t think highly of my writing skills. When I was little I loved to both read and write. I read just about any book I could get my hands on, and my journal was my go to for my daily adventures. Although it’s