There is a group of people out there that I would like to address today. I do not mean to attack you, and if possible I'd like to gently hold your hands when I deliver this message. Because you need to internalize this, and it will (hopefully) make things a lot easier for you in your journeys.
Are you listening? Good, because this is important.
You do not have to be a writer. If you look upon writing with dread, find yourself trying to avoid it at all costs, or if you are turning to robots to do any part of the process for you because you just don't want to do it, then you may not be a writer. Because it's not just about having the ideas, or putting words on the page, or coming up with characters. If you don't like doing the activity, then it might not be for you... and that is okay.
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| Seriously... if you don't like it, you don't have to do it. |
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If You Don't Like Writing, You Don't Have To Do It
Now, for clarity, I'm not saying that writing is easy. We've all had those days where we stare at the blank screen trying to come up with the idea, where a plot twist has left our story wrapped in knots, or where we struggle to get the characterization right. Writing, re-writing, editing, re-editing, and going over everything 19 times until you're sick of your story is an exhausting process.
But if you are a writer, that's the process you go through. Some days are going to be hard. Some days are going to be frustrating. The key is that you still want to actually do it. That you want to put your fingers back on the keys, and keep writing until you get it right. To return to my favorite metaphor, you don't have to like going to the gym every day, but you do your reps, eat your diet, and so on because you want the end result. It's the same with writing... you go through the process because you want to sharpen your skills, and you want to be able to produce that end result through your own hard work.
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| Again, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. |
With all of that said, there are some people who hate writing. It feels like torture for them to sit down at a keyboard, or with a pen and notebook, and to actually write a story. Every sentence is a grueling step across razor blades, and they hate it. A lot of folks who really like playing around with characters or story ideas don't actually like writing stories (much less writing books). It's the same way folks who enjoy playing role-playing games really have fun with that experience, but find that they don't want to be a Game Master. And some folks who are good at running games and telling stories still don't enjoy writing stories themselves.
And, to repeat myself, you don't have to write stories. You don't have to write books. If you don't actually enjoy the process, there is no one making you do it. Unless you have a contract with a company, and you promised to have a manuscript by a certain date, you don't have to participate in this art form. And even if you used to really love writing, but you're burned out and exhausted now, you can put it down and come back to it later. Or not, if you never feel the need to return.
I say this because there are a lot of folks out there who like the idea of writing (or the romanticized idea of being a writer), but who don't actually enjoy the process. It doesn't make their brains happy, they don't feel super accomplished when they finish a project, and actually following through on a story can feel like pulling teeth. But if writing makes you miserable, please, for both our sakes, stop doing it.
This can be hard for people who realize they don't enjoy something the way they once did. It can also be a huge problem for folks who have adopted the aesthetic and identity of a writer, but who don't participate in the activity. But writing should be something you enjoy, or at the very least that you want to keep doing so you can finish telling your story. Because if you don't, you're just making yourself miserable.
It is all right not to participate in activities you don't actually enjoy, so ask yourself why you're writing if you don't actually want to do it.
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