Writing
without recognition or at least some kind of validation is hard. It’s difficult to stay
motivated, to keep spending those hours in front of the laptop and to keep
pouring out those emotions.
Questions arise, most often when I’m
lying in bed about to drop off to sleep. How long should I keep going? How long
should I keep trying? Should I keep
going?
Several
times I’ve considered simply packing up and concentrating on my family and the
farm. Then the summer holidays arrived and this summer was particularly
poignant as it marked the end of my daughter’s primary education.
So I did the
unthinkable and gave myself permission to take some time off.
Not writing
for a few days usually makes me a bit twitchy and to consciously decide to put
the pen down and not turn on the laptop for several weeks was scary. Would I be able to write
again? Would I want to? And if I did, would I have lost the ability I’d
cultivated? A bit like taking time off from exercise, I suppose, and losing
fitness.
But then
school rolls around and new term begins and as turns out, a rest can be good. Back to
school, back to work.
The crows of
doubt may currently be perched on top of my laptop cawing at the number of
times I’m using the delete button, but I’m still here and I’m still writing.
Does the joy
of writing ever desert you and if so, what do you find helps?
Hi Sarah! Another great post- thanks for being so honest. I also gave myself permission to take some time off, from writing and all forms of social media for a few weeks. (Still having a break but couldn't resist peeking at your blog!) You are so right- writing without validation is really tough. Sometimes we need to step away from the pressure we put on ourselves, to regroup and come back to writing fresh and hopefully, inspired. Keep going Sarah, the most important journeys are the toughest to travel ����
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! Thanks for stopping by. Writing is hard but so is the decision to take time off from it as I think writers put so much pressure on themselves at the best of times. Catch-22 but isn't that a writer's life anyway?! Getting back into it is slow but at least I'm still here, still pecking away at the keyboard. I hope you keep writing. It would be a shame to never know what could have been.
DeleteHi Sarah, the crows of doubt are circling far and wide at the moment, it seems, and stealing all joy in writing. Like you, I've also been taking time out to think 'Do I want to go on?' and finding it equally hard to sit at the keyboard now that autumn is here. But you have so much talent and, while conflicting feedback is confusing and discouraging, ultimately the key is to follow your heart and write the story that is true for you, so keep going! xx
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa. Sorry to hear that the crows of doubt have taken a fancy to you too. I've made a pact with myself that I'm going to write as if no-one is ever going to look at it. And I'll have to echo your words - keep going. You can do it. xx
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