Writing

5 More Things Writers Need To Stop Doing

Herminia Chow

As I promised this post is a continuation of Five Things Writers Need To Stop Doing.

  1. Stop complaining about everything. Writing and rewriting and editing and blogging and all those wonderful things you do are NOT easy. But that is no reason for you to complain. Do not whine. Do not complain. It won’t solve your problems. Be happy that your work is demanding because if writing a novel or maintaining a blog was easy, everyone would be doing it. Then it wouldn’t be such a big deal anymore, would it? Anything worth doing requires hard work, dedication, commitment, etc. So commit to it and vow to never complain again.
  2. Stop downgrading your abilities. You are talented. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t. Even worse don’t tell yourself you aren’t talented enough to make it in this industry. There are enough people out there being negative already. Don’t add one more person to that list.
  3. Stop criticizing your writing.  If you have ever been bullied in your life then you know how much it sucks. If you bully yourself over your writing, it’s bound to be ten times as worse. So why do it? Why aim for perfection only to criticize yourself even further because you have such high expectations? Just write. Everything will take care of itself eventually.
  4. Stop the blame game. You can’t blame your family, your kids, your agent, your editor, the world, global warming, or zombies…when things go wrong. Yes, there will be people that get in your way and other obstacles you have to face. Life isn’t fair. Perhaps, that’s why we all like pointing fingers and blaming other individuals so much. But this is your life and your career. Own up to your mistakes. That way you can own up to your accomplishments too.
  5. Stop dreaming. Dreams are simply visions. Visions are just mental pictures in your mind that are not real. Intangible wishes. Ideas that aren’t put to paper simply go to the dump, never to be used again. Dreams are not the same as goals so find out how to turn those dreams into well-defined, realistic, specific goals and start working towards them. Wake up and start doing something. Go. Write. Edit. NOW.

There you have it. Five more things writers, bloggers, authors, novelists, etc., should all stop doing.

Feel free to add any I may have missed.

24 thoughts on “5 More Things Writers Need To Stop Doing”

  2. Such a good point that constantly criticizing your writing is self-defeating. When I catch myself falling into that black hole, I go watch a horrible movie on Netflix to remind myself that schlock gets published every day and so can I!

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  3. Hey Kira,
    It totally is and I find myself extremely critical all the time.
    I like your idea about watching movies on Netflix when you fall into that habit. I could definitely use it.
    Thanks!

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  5. Pingback: You Never Know How Strong You Are Until Being Strong Is the Only Choice You Have | change it up editing

  6. nice,I totally agree with you. It is soooo important to stop telling yourself that you are not good enough! We should always support our friends and family in their dreams and goals….that support helps them and ourselves to believe and succeed. If we say ‘you are not good enough’, we might never even try. Some faith in our own abilities might lead to something beautiful, even if it’s just more self-respect!

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    1. Yeah, as a writer it is so easy to overlook our talent and downplay our abilities to the point where we feel like we are not even good enough. Writing is difficult to begin with and I think many writers make it even harder on themselves sometimes. I cannot even begin to imagine where I would be as a writer if not for the support I’ve had from the people that mean the most to me. I feel as though this applies to bloggers as well. Bloggers need to have support from fans, followers, and friends to continue doing what they do. It allows us to actually feel like we are doing something with merit, increasing our self-esteem levels tremendously.

      I totally agree with your last point. Even if some confidence does not turn into success right away, at least the writer respects themselves, their talent, and their work. And that is so important.

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  7. The zombie did it! I seen it! I agree with you, one of the hardest things to do as a writer is silence the inner crit in the early stages, the rough and first drafts. Otherwise the idea will never get off the ground.

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    1. Of course. Zombies are slowly taking over the world without our knowledge. 🙂

      Yep, silencing the inner voice within is perhaps the most difficult. We can ignore what others say about our writing but it’s hard to ignore what we think ourselves. Writers should let the idea or ideas grow into a flower before judging it.

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  9. I think I struggle most with the first three. I’m incredibly self-conscious as a person, and this completely transpires in my writing. I sometimes get completely gridlocked in endless mental hurdles that attempt to convince me anything and everything I write is pure and utter rot, unworthy of being read by anyone else and therefore not worth putting out there. But…I’m working on that. 🙂

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    1. Aw I completely understand where you’re coming from. It seems you know yourself well and you’re working to improve. Good job. Keep writing because you’re getting better with each word you put on the page.

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