By: Regina Milton, who asks that you check out her favorite charity, Mocha Club
The Art of Writing would not be what it is without a few miscreants…the unbelievers, haters, extortionists, the untalented, the naysayers and those who consider themselves unofficial beacons of negativity. Instead of bringing you (true artists) down, these people challenge you to step up your game, frustrate you into action, or inspire you to not “do ordinary” but to reach for something more meaningful. We have all come to know one/some of these at one point. They are discontented people who at first seem to be enemies of art, but instead are catalysts to our creativity. I thank you scoundrels, but this post (and subsequently Nathan’s entire blog) is not for you.
There are many of you out there who speak with a true voice and who posses God given creativity that shows in what you say, how you move and what you make. I salute you, you are artists. You have a vision and a voice. You are not afraid of the hard work it takes to start something. You are not taken down by the rejections and criticism that challenge you as you present a finished product to the world. You are art. You sow hard work and originality; you reap beauty…and hopefully the satisfaction of someone else out there “getting” you. You politely (in your head) laugh at those who rudely (out loud) laugh at you, claiming that your job as a writer is not a real job and is not actually difficult. They feel that they “really work” and that writing (slaving away on a computer writing thousands of words per day) is an utter joke, and is something that they could do in their sleep…with the flu.
It can be a blow to morale to run into the people and forces that are in motion to stop you from being who you are called to be. It sucks to turn on the radio and hear music that makes you feel like you are losing brain cells when you know what you have to say has meaning. It is discouraging to read a book that you feel was a sad waste of the recycled paper it was printed on. I’m not one of those people who consider mainstream products as evil things created by wily people that are akin to Gollum (yes, it is important to reference The Lord of the Rings on all blog posts). Sure there are crafty individuals in the industries that fill our music stores, book stores and movie theaters with “mediocre mania” just so they can make a buck (actually a few hundred thousand), but art is not dead. Note: many mainstream things are so because they are quality and they appeal to a large audience. Don’t give up hope or adopt a sour attitude if you encounter mediocrity that you think should have never been published.
Art is alive, and while I’ll not deny that it is being attacked by sources outside of your control (“The Man”) I’d like to argue that the biggest enemies of your work, the unsung villains that actually stop you, are inside of you. They take on the following guises:
complacency – that thing that stops us from rewriting a bad chapter one last time
doubt – the voice that says “your book will never be good enough, why even finish?”
pride – the force that convinces us to not take any more writing classes or attend any more seminars, because we’ve already “arrived”
fear – fear of failure, fear of success, fear of agents, fear of being misunderstood, fear that we are wasting our time, fear of hard work
writer’s fatigue – yes, it takes a long time to make things perfect
procrastination – not making the effort until the last moment (sure this sometimes produces brilliant work, but it often results in shoddy writing)
All these things are rooted in a general laziness and lack of trust in self. Confidence and consistent effort show in our work. We need to combat these things that are intrinsic to our nature by learning all we can, writing all we can, and believing all we can about ourselves. If we are prone to bouts of sluggishness, we should seek out an accountability partner and set deadlines for ourselves. By now we should know our own nature. We should pinpoint problem areas and make plans to work through them, even if it means asking for help (I know it is a horrible word, not to be used by professionals, but let’s be serious…we all need it sometime). That being said, what are the unsung villains of your work and what tricks have you learned to you combat them?
Thermocline says
The fears my writing isn’t good enough take on a sharper edge with each agent rejection. It was easy to be blithe about wondering whether any agents would like my MS. Now I know.
I fight back with, “Well, the first book Dr. Seuss wrote got rejected something like 27 times and look how it turned out for him.” That’s working so far.
But I haven’t hit 27 rejections yet.
RW says
Jane Smiley in her book Thirteen Ways of Looking At a Novel makes a related point that has been very helpful to me. She says that when a writer is experiencing boredom or fear enough to make them disinclined to work, those are symptoms of a flaw in the book that the writer hasn't grappled with yet. Some little spot of improbability or structural weakness or deadened motivation. Spot the problem, and the boredom and fear usually resolve themselves and you're off and running again.
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! says
we are always our own worst critics.
I think it's good because it keeps us grounded and keeps our ego's in check. I also like it when people are harsh with me, criticizing my works and challenging me to become a BETTER writer.
Girl 7 says
Perfectionism. Privacy. Persistence.
The 3 P's for me.
I'm private which is incredibly hard for a writer because I need to share in order to get better. I need to be persistent to get better. I need to let go of a piece eventually and not let perfectionism keep me up at night. Life must go on. The next project must begin. I can be wrong (sometimes) and let that not be the death of me.
JStantonChandler says
My worst villian would be fear: fear of not being good enough, fear of success, fear of failure. Can you really be afraid of not making it and making it at the same time? You betcha. I battle both regularly. Couple that with a severe leaning towards procrastination and you've got one heck of a villian!
Wesley says
I'm a huge fan of keeping "it" (the story, words, etc) bottled up in my head til it's ready to burst onto paper.
There's an urge that builds up to share this idea but usually once I've told it verbally then it has satisfied that story-telling need and becomes difficult to write.
Therefore, I keep to a minimum the number of people I share with and let it only be people who can help further the story.
Deidre says
Thanks for your insight Regina. Found your article very helpful… It is true, we can't always blame the "haters"… sometimes it takes looking inside. Food for thought, for sure.
Anonymous says
the "God given" thing is really out of place here – not everyone believes in a monotheistic entity and to introduce, even in a slight way, belief or faith or whatever underlying religiosity made me want to vomit. given what a disaster "faith based" politics & policies have done to this country (disaster much?) I really could have done without the tone and specifics of this post.
Rick Daley says
This post was precious (get it? It's a Gollum reference. Ha!)
And to continue that thought, here is my greatest villain:
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
My tricks to combat this villain:
Slow the earth's rotation. WIP.
Deniz Kuypers says
Doubt and procrastination are probably my worst enemies, the former usually leading to the latter. But the good thing about doubt (for me) is that I keep tweaking my work, making it as good as it can be (hopefully). It pushes me to continue to set the bar higher. Oftentimes I think of a comment Simon Cowell made on "American Idol" (how's that for a mass media reference that some people hate and others love?), who said, "Why be good when you can be great?"
CKHB says
And Rick ups the ante with a Hobbit reference on top of LoTR…
Procrastination in deadly for me. In fact, I'm going to go offline right now!
Oh, the charity looks really worthwhile, thank you!
Mercy Loomis says
For me the worst is procrastination. It's so easy to put writing off because I don't feel like it today, or because I'm researching and that's much more interesting than tearing the words one by one out of my brain because they just aren't flowing right now.
The other thing I have a hard time with is feedback. I really want feedback. I do. I love good constructive no-holds-barred feedback. But my first response is always to get defensive, even though I KNOW they have a point. It's taking my poor husband awhile to figure out that when he gives me feedback and I just nod with a totally blank face, I'm not angry. I just can't respond until I've let things simmer in the back of my head for a day, or I'll get all RAR IT'S FINE YOU JUST DON"T GET IT! Hehe.
Anonymous says
Some readers just can't leave off finding a flaw or two in any written work. This is a subset to the "half full, half empty" theory magnified to an atom's particle view.
Your assessment of writer villains leads us to reflect on how writers sometimes are their own worst enemies.
Mary Jo
D. G. Hudson says
Most writers that I know consider their writing to be an intrinsic part of themselves, so it takes a bit of time to recover from the shock of rejection. (i.e., denial, frustration, grudging acceptance)
After that, your advice is perfect for getting us out of the slag heap of procrastination.
Enjoyed your posting, a mid-week motivator.
Amber says
Whenever I get down about my writing, I remember Baum, whose tales of Oz began as stories for his children. Even if nobody knows them but me and those I am close to, I have stories I can share, and the characters are alive in my imagination whether or not a successfully publish their stories. But I owe it to them to at least write them down.
My greatest villain is time. When eight hours of my day is filled with school, then another five or six with work, I feel like I don't have the energy to do any writing that day. I know I need to work on my mindset and put in at least an hour or two, even on those days.
Thank you for sharing this with us, and thank you Nathan, for allowing it!
Ash D. says
Excellent post! It was very thought-provoking and inspiring.
My biggest villains are probably fear and self-doubt.
I don't always believe that I'm good enough to "make it" and so, from time to time, several months will pass when I write very little (if any at all).
But then I remember that it doesn't really matter if I "make it" or not because writing is something that I enjoy doing, even if my words are never read by anyone else. 🙂
Anonymous says
Thank you, Regina. This was a message I really needed to hear today.
Dara says
I know I'm the one who definitely suffers from being a huge procrastinator…and making excuses about why I shouldn't write. Self doubt is a close second.
Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Marsha Sigman says
I think my villains would be Fear and Doubt. I have always loved to read so much and when I read something really good, the fear and doubt in me says 'You will never be this good, why are you even trying?'.
I have to battle those villains every day. In my head they look exactly like twin Gollums. I knew I could fit in a LOTR reference.
So far I am just trying to ignore them as best I can. I don't want to look back on my life and say I didn't try because I was afraid or lazy.
bethanyintexas says
I waited so long to even try to publish because of fear of rejection or fear of not being good enough. But now I've said to myself "I don't want to wonder if I can do it, I'm just going to do it." I still get plagued by doubts, but I have to push them aside and say that my wanting to write and put myself out there is more important than my doubts.
This post rocks was fabulous! Thank you so much! And I liked the "God given talent" reference and the Gollum reference was great. Good reminders.
bethanyintexas says
P.S. I haven't been published, yet, but I plan on putting myself out there!
Just Me says
What a great post – and timely for me. I'm about to send out my first queries today – unless I procrastinate 🙂
Fear is a HUGE block for me. Shy, surrounded by linear, left-brained folks (whom I love!), I'm terrified of sending that query. But, like Frodo, I will persevere!
Mira says
Wonderful topic, Regina, thanks.
Lately, I've realized my biggest internal enemy is my tendency to distract myself from what's my top priority.
I get into battles that I shouldn't, because there are other, more important things I should focus on. I worry too much about the end result of my writing – getting published – instead of just focusing on the writing itself. I get involved in personalities in writing groups, etc. that have nothing to do with my writing.
I don't know if this is my biggest internal villian, but it's the one that's coming to my attention right now, and it's a big one!
Now that I've identified it, though, I'm hopeful that I can work with it.
Thanks again for your post and your thoughts, Regina – appreciate it.
~Aimee States says
Fear, doubt, procrastination, yep, I suffer all those things. And I realized I suffered them because I wrote three novels without learning how to write them first. There is something to be said for taking a big step back and getting all your ducks in a row before you start throwing manuscripts at agents in random drive-by emails. That's what gets you there, learning and then learning more. A commitment to excellence works in all things.
Matilda McCloud says
Thanks for your post. I sure needed this one! I'd say doubt is my biggest villain.
I think it's important to ride the waves of doubt, fear of failure, etc. but not drown in them. So some weeks I'll feel gloomy, but then a week or two later I'll feel more hopeful (maybe I thought of a new scene to add to my novel, tweaked my query letter, etc).
Regan Leigh says
A friend of mine just made a comment on my blog that I found interesting. I was having an Am I Crazy meltdown day. 🙂 (My villain by far is self doubt.) She's an artist and mentioned a book called "Art and Fear". She said it views art as a verb, not a noun, and that it’s the making, not the finished product that is most important. The creative act of writing is the point, not necessarily the finished product, because we can't completely control what the reader is going to take from it. We just have to be proud of the work and creativity that went into it, as well as being personally content with the finished product.
Nice post. Thanks!
Newbee says
I'd say my "villains" are just getting started after stopping the writing process for days or weeks due to "life". The funny thing is, if I make myself start up again and get off Facebook,I don't want to stop writing. Anything that interupts me after that just bugs me and I tell them to go away…I'm busy!
Karen Beeching says
What I do to combat writing villains:
1. Butt in chair
2. Write
Newbee says
Nathan,
Do you know if there are still openings for your workshop?
Jen
Kristi says
Oh Regina – what a great post. It's so true that most people's "enemies" are themselves. I've heard people complain about some of what's published but I think there are other issues. e.g. While there are Stephanie Meyer bashers out there, I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats and that any author who brings people to books (yes, even Lauren Congrad)is a positive thing (although I like to think a different sort of people would buy my book 🙂
My twin villains are perfectionism and procrastination. My lovely group of critique partners helps with those though, so it's better than it was. Thanks for this!
Mira says
Jen – hope it's okay if I answer you. Nathan's away this week.
If you go to the post where he announced it, there's a link to the bookstore. You could contact them to ask.
Sarah from Hawthorne says
My biggest villain: the allure of the new.
Every time I get a decent chunk of the way into a new project, once the novelty has worn off and I'm realizing just how much work it's gonna take to get from outline to finished product, that's about the time I get a new idea. For a new project. That surely would be so much better and require so much less effort…
Marla Warren says
Procrastination is especially a problem for writers who do not have deadlines. (That was the great thing about Nathan's guest blog contest; it gave many of us a deadline and spurred us to write. And I was pleased with myself for having submitted something by the deadline. Though now I am glad that I will have time to revise and expand what I wrote.)
When you are writing something that no one is waiting for but you hope to get published someday, then the burden is on you to set deadlines for yourself and be productive.
I don't want to grow old and die wondering what might have happened if I had finished and submitted more of my writing.
PurpleClover says
My Facebook addiction. And it doesn't help that other writers, bloggers, editors, and agents ALSO use Facebook.
The first step is admittance. I haven't gotten to the second step yet. I'll let you know how it goes. 😉
Anna says
I love this!!! Thanks heaps… :)))
SM Blooding says
Rick, you're too funny!
My biggest villain…is…*thinking really, really hard. Um, it depends on the day. *nods* I have to keep the entire bag of tricks ready at a moments notice to combat the doubt, the fear, the characters fighting in my head.
Complacency? Not so much. More a lack of time.
Pride? *snort* Don't I wish!
Procrastination? You know? For a procrastinator–and I AM–I get an awful lot done! I didn't realize that until I started making "lists".
Writer's fatigue? That one is huge! Eventually, Starbucks stops being effective.
Newbee says
Sweet! Mira…thanks. I've been away myself! 🙂
Marilyn Peake says
WOW. That is a really powerful Guest Blog! I think every writer should read it; I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future. I agree with everything you’ve said, Regina. There are many people and forces that, as you say, "… at first seem to be enemies of art, but instead are catalysts to our creativity." That’s a really positive way of looking at things. Being a writer isn’t easy. It’s hard work, often including long periods of exhaustion, not to mention physical side effects like migraine headaches and back pain, and then there are "… the unbelievers, haters, extortionists, the untalented, the naysayers and those who consider themselves unofficial beacons of negativity." If a writer allows such people and forces to get them down for too long, their writing career is over: it becomes too hard to continue. And, if a writer spends too much time and energy being angry about the unfairness of it all, that saps their creative energy and the energy needed to improve their craft. It’s important to find ways to love the creative process of writing, no matter what. I mean, what if the hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, had given up as soon as their mission became too difficult? (I also agree that it’s "… important to reference The Lord of the Rings on all blog posts.")
Marilyn Peake says
Forgot to answer the wonderful question at the end of the Guest Blog. In the spring, exhaustion was definitely my worst problem. I had spent so many hours editing other authors’ books while writing my own novel, I got burned out, even losing my peripheral vision several times due to migraine headaches. I took the entire summer off from writing. I’m now feeling wonderful and can’t wait to return to writing in the fall. I expect to complete my new sci fi novel around October. 🙂
TERI REES WANG says
A big thank you for unveiling again, that I am my own Saboteur.
Severe as it is, it is true.
I am the only one that trips me up.
Love the Dr. Seuss survival story, and I have since found the movie of "Mrs. Potter"…Beatrix Potter, a subtle story with a strong current the carries out to larger picture, straight from the center core.
And, since my writing tends move towards the juvenile set, I have those two survival stories set along my GPS route, just in case.
Horserider says
"I fight back with, “Well, the first book Dr. Seuss wrote got rejected something like 27 times and look how it turned out for him.” That’s working so far."
I think it was actually 72 times.
I have wonderful writer friends that tell me that I don't suck when I'm down and help me brainstorm when I'm stuck. It's great to have writer friends so you can share criticism, help, and news — both good and bad.
T. Anne says
Brilliant post.
The demon that most haunts me is lack of time and his evil twin self doubt. I find stealing time to write occurs best at unnatural hours. And unlike Rick Daley I lack the superpower to slow the Earth's rotation thus I must rise before the sun and pound the keyboard until I pump out a satisfactory word count or someone demands breakfast, whichever comes first. The self doubt arises with the steady stream of rejections that (mistakingly) find their way into my inbox. Although oddly, they make me feel connected to the industry. Go figure.
Kerrie says
What an insightful post. Thanks. My biggest problems are procrastination and putting too much energy into talking about what I am going to write, instead of just writing it.
For procrastination, I find I am the most productive when I plan out my day ahead of time (minute by minute).
Eric Blair jr. says
My art uses the common weapons to combat writing villians: hella blunts, lots of sex, and the occasion shot of bourbon-oh and cigarettes, lots of cigarettes.
Joann says
Awesome post – thank you! The common themes appearing in the comments are tremendously reassuring. Whew – not crazy after all.
Like many others, my personal villain is self-doubt, but with a bit of a twist: some days I think I've written my magnum opus and other days I see first draft material with no hope of ever publishing. It's been long enough now that I know a magnum opus day will always be followed by a first draft day. Unfortunately, the opposite does not hold true. Today is a first draft day and it's taken me much longer to write this paragraph than is reasonable.
Pressing PUBLISH….
Mira says
Sure Jen. 🙂
The one that always impresses me is Chicken Soup for the Soul. It was turned down 140 times, AND their first agent dropped them.
Can you imagine? By the 139th rejection, they had to have been going on pure chutpah. But it seemed to have worked out for them!
Emily C. says
I'd like to add another to the list: perfectionism. So often I go back and revise and revise and revise instead of making any progress.
"Perfect never finishes." –Holly Lisle
ryan field says
This was a nice post.
Regina Milton says
I love us writer people…we're all so honest. It does give you the assurance that you are not crazy or alone when you know so many others struggle with the same enemies. I write articles so my main challenge is moving from the thrill of getting one accepted to writing the next. It is nice to have our work selected, to have an agent love us, or to have lots of positive attention on our current book, but it is the niceness of that feeling that makes it easy to forget that we still have a career! Ugh.
Marla Warren- you hit it. We must set deadlines for ourselves.
…and Mira- thanks for the info. about Chicken Soup, I only hope to have that kind of fortitude.
Anonymous #1- I respect that you have different feelings than mine. Some people feel strongly about certain things (as is evident by the tone that you perceived in the post) and you disagree, feeling strongly about other things. I'm glad all writers don't think the same. Thanks for sharing.
In general I like to learn from other writers and try to encourage artists when I can…if they care to listen.
Rick Daley says
For the record, I have not succeeded in slowing the earth's rotation. You will know if I do, because you will need to reinvest in all of your clocks and watches.
The last attempt I made actually decreased the length of a day by 2.68 microseconds, and it resulted in a massive earthquake and tsunami. I am still harboring a tremendous amount of guilt over that incident, so it may be a while before I try again.