12 Emotional Struggles Only Writers Will Understand (And One Epic Win)

It's a cold, cold world out there, full of grammar corrections and rejection letters. We writers have to deal with a lot more than just actually writing, after all. We have to deal with all these emotions! Everywhere! Getting all over everything!

Emotions are hard, man. Like, for instance...

How To Handle Criticism (As A Writer)

Dealing with criticism can be a seriously tricky business as a writer. After all, the words we put on paper are us. They're our thoughts, our hearts, our words, our souls. Criticism of your words can feel like criticism of your very person.

This, in fact, is one of the reasons many writers get stuck. We don’t want to take risks, or--if we do--we don’t want to show anyone those risks. When we do share our work, if it’s not met with unabashed aplomb, we often react with either severe pain (retreating and licking our wounds, kicking ourselves and vowing never to write again) or anger (a harrumph and a growl, a vow that your reader is uncultured swine and just doesn’t understand your genius).

Both reactions, it might be noted, are rooted in fear. Fear that we’re not good enough. Fear that we don’t measure up.

The 'Show, Don't Tell' Monster

You’ve heard it before, a thousand times, from the instant you decided to write. Haven’t you? Show, don’t tell! The snarky little catchphrase that seems to haunt your every edit. You could have sworn you were showing in that last draft, but upon rereading...nope, you were telling. And telling. And telling. And now you feel like you’re the worst writer in the world and so why should you even bother??!

Anyone else kind of want to pull their hair out when things get like this?

I know I do. Which, I realize, does not make me the most expert of writers to preach upon such a subject. But I’ve had this three-word stalker crouching behind me for a significant chunk of years now, so I've collected a few thoughts about it. Some ways to avoid it’s breathy snarl. Because, honestly, when I first started hearing it, I had no flipping clue what these people were talking about.

Here’s some ideas on how to figure out what people mean when they throw this at you like a pitchfork in the middle of your writing group.

Are You Fed Up Yet?

Reading Poetry
by Thomas John Walters

I am fed up,

meat on bones,

sucked down,

devoured.

My sails fill up,

winds of dawning lights rustle through pages,

through windows to YES worlds,

rustle hope, rustle yes, rustle the poetic life in me; 

and every greatness is in reach of my heart. 

This poem is for you, writers. That opening line especially.

What feeds you? 

Besides food, I mean. What feeds your soul? What enriches your sense of self? What stimulates your creativity? 

There is something out there that will slice open your sense of wonder like a can-opener slices open those delicious cans of syrupy pineapples.

Mmmmm. Pineapples.

We writers like to be serious. We like to be aloof and wise and research-ey and tough. We like to sit in our stuffy studies with our whiskey, hem and haw about politics, and pretend we know waaaaay more than we do. We like to get fed up in the negative sense. We're fed up with society! With the government! With mainstream entertainment! And most of all we're fed up with those people! You know the ones.

But where's the wonder in that? Where's the joy? Where's the syrupy pineapple goodness?

Get yourself fed up in the wonderful sense. Let's call it the pineapple sense. That should keep you from getting too serious. 

Find out what feeds your soul and DO NOT mock yourself for loving it! Not allowed. 

Play. Go to the beach. Stare at the sea. Climb a tree. Read poetry. Look at art. Make macaroni and inwardly comment how smooth and delicious you find the cheese. Go to your local sock store. Sock art can be way inspiring.

This doesn't have to be refined, people. It only has to awaken that childlike piece of you that enjoys doing handstands and popping bubbles and eating pineapples (see what I did there?). This piece of you has odd questions, strange ideas, and has not yet learned to be self-conscious. It creates constantly, innately, delightedly. Doesn't that sound nice?

Keep with your hard-working writerly self, of course, but get that wonder back. Your writing will be best if you combine the two. 

Find your can opener. Get fed up. Get writing. 

Thanks to Thomas John Walters for writing/sharing the gem of a poem up top!