I have not actually written anything in December, so that’s a complete fail on that front.
5 Likes
Not true! Many writers have uttered some variation of those exact words and believed them with absolute certainty.
Now, how many of them it was actually true for, that’s a different story…
4 Likes
And these are the people The Perfect Writer WIP is about.
3 Likes
This made me snort, thank you for brightening up a shitty morning. I really need coffee, and some tylenol.
3 Likes
Good news, today I could write without anxiety. I am happy, hope it continues this way!
12 Likes
That’s great to hear 
3 Likes
I’m so pleased to hear it!
3 Likes
Can I be real for a second?
Warning for discussing imposter syndrome / anxiety
that is in here
I was wondering if anyone else struggles with this feeling of imposter syndrome. Like, I haven’t even posted anything, but I feel like a fake if I call myself a writer? But what am I if I am writing but a writer?
Perhaps it is a result of anxiety, but sometimes it makes me seize, I feel like I don’t know enough, and I am going to disappoint people. Even the idea of getting positive feedback is intimidating because of this gripping fear of what I’m working on being unlikeable. It is not sensible in the slightest, as obviously some people would like it no matter what it is, just hoping for advice while I take a mental health break to doodle my Little Fox.
8 Likes
A writer’s someone who writes. You’re a writer unless you want to start an argument with the dictionary!
6 Likes
Yep. Writers write. Authors are just writers who eventually finished, at least once.
6 Likes
Honestly, if you were to ask every writer/author/creative person who’s creating work, they’ll tell you that they’ve suffered with anxiety, imposter syndrome, and comparing themselves to others. I know in the two years that I’ve been in the IF community, I regularly experience that even now.
You’re a writer if you write stuff, that’s basically it.
Even though it’s easier said than done, pleasing yourself with your writing is the main thing. Once you have a story you want to get down, and a style of writing you want to read and enjoy, alongside an idea, things will fall into place. External worries such as feedback from others is super common too, but I found that you’ll eventually find your group of people within your circle on here that will love what you write and be patient with you no matter what.
9 Likes
You are not alone. I am not alone. We are not alone in our anxiety. Deal with these struggles. It is what makes this thread so valuable to me. Here you can be sincere and tell your day writing, including the good stuff and the struggles.
I have to remember this as well; here, we aren’t alone. We have to keep going; We are writers. No matter what our anxiety says.
8 Likes
I called myself a writer through long years of unfinished bits and pieces, and even having published I still feel like an impostor sometimes–and certainly know the fear of my work being unlikeable!
Forge ahead. You’re not an impostor. This is how we all do it.
8 Likes
Just barely managed to make my goal of updating the second chapter of my WIP! Depending on what time zone you’re in, anyway. If I was going by my time zone, I was an hour late lol.
4 Likes
I think the whole world has officially joined us in 2023! Let’s scrape the previous year clean and start the next one with a fresh slate. No obligations, no expectations. Tabula rasa. Write what you want, do what you like, and answer to nobody. Amen.
7 Likes
Too bad I can’t. Need to write for other people.
1 Like
All literature history has writers following the petty designs and political tides that people who could barely read or understand the plays made in their name.
But most of them put their spirit into those and write their own projects at night, like Quixote. So never lose your passion even if you have to write for others. If Cervantes and all Greek writers could, you can as well.
1 Like