I've come to learn that writing is an emotional rollercoaster. There are points when you finish polishing a passage of your story and you congratulate yourself on your superior use of craftmanship. Then there are days when you feel like your whole manuscript is shit and its time to pack it into the bottom of a trash bin.
Tonight I'm in the latter of the two moods. I know that the emotions are to be expected and that it is all part of the process - at least that's what I tell myself. But then the doubt creeps into my psyche and I wonder if I'm good enough - or even passable. I've had some people read my work and reply that it is good, but then others just don't seem to get it. Granted that a story will not appeal to everyone, but still...
It's all quite frustrating and I try to refrain from being defensive; thus the use of this blog to vent. I hope I'm not the only one to get into these frames of mind. One of my characters - the Mad Hatter - has an alternate ego that is personified in his mind. He refers to the personality as his "little imp" - a voice in his head that is much different than his primary. (Too bad I cut those sections out of my book.) Tonight I feel as if my "little imp" has taken control.
I think most writers feel that way from time to time. I know I do. Doubting your work can result in something as small as having a bad day, to something as big as making too many or poor edits of your work. That's why I suggest putting it all aside when you're not feeling great about a project and coming back to it when you feel better. Easier said than done--I know :-).
ReplyDeleteI'm with Angela. It's hard when you're having an off day to resist the urge to hit delete or someone just doesn't get it. So I'm gonna be the annoying positive little imp that says you rock and I know you can do it:) See, told you it was annoying, but hey, I hope it raised a smile.
ReplyDeleteI know this feeling, it's AWFUL. But then I figure out a way to make my MS better, and that plan really uplifts me. You can do it, you just have to find the motivation and a plan.
ReplyDelete;)