This blog post is simple and to the point: What is your biggest hurdle as a writer? I’d love to write a blog post about anything you are dealing with as a writer, and hopefully I can help with tips or suggestions. If you wish to remain anonymous, then send a message on the contact page and I’ll be happy to write a blog post about your question without mentioning you.
However, if you want recognition, then I’ll mention you and your blog (if you have one) or website (if you have one) in the post.
As always, I am very happy to help.
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Published by Roger Colby, Novelist, Editor
Roger Colby is a novelist and teacher who has taught English for nearly two decades. He is also an avid reader of science fiction who feels, like many other sci-fi readers, that he has read everything. He writes science fiction for the reader who is looking for the next best thing, something to excite them into reading again. This blog is his journey as a writer and his musings about writing. He also edits manuscripts for a fee and is an expert at helping you reach your full potential as a writer.
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Writing Is Hard Work 
For me, it’s just carving out time to develop the habit and skill of writing. I have one big story that’s the reason I want to write, but I only work on it sporadically and then I spend most of my time worldbuilding and outlining. I know I’m not a great writer and need to practice, but there’s so much I want to do, so many other things competing for my attention, that I have a hard time sitting down and making myself write a bunch of mediocre prose that probably won’t make it into a completed work. I don’t feel like spending time on it if won’t be good, and it won’t be good until I spend a lot of time on it. Negative feedback loop, low productivity. My blog tends to suffer the same neglect.
Whatever you do, whether it be world building or writing, is still working on the WIP. No progress is little progress no matter how little you get done.
It is indeed a common theme that our busy lives intrude on all the good intentions of writing. Here it isa hot, dry summer, we have had a poisonous snake in the garden, a lightening storm took out the TV and computer, and writing time gets pretty pressured. But I keep telling myself I only have another 20 000 words to go on this book, so just stay with it. Easier said than done…
Keep at it. It is good that you have set goals for yourself that are attainable. Try shooting for half of that amount and see how it helps you focus.
You’re so right. I’ll let you know when my next manuscript is done. In the meatime do take a look at an interview on http://www.thebigthrill.org/2014/01/news-from-south-africa-by-michael-sears-15/ I was so pleased with it.
Nice interview. I’ll have to check out your book sometime…probably this summer when I’m on holiday.
I struggle to sit down, get in the “zone,” and write in the limited distraction-free time I can find. There has to be a way to streamline my brain towards productive writing. I do appreciate your blog and knowing others are working towards a similar goal.
Thanks so much Kathryn. I appreciate your comment so much! Bless you as you produce great writing.
our biggest hurdle is our own ignorance. We have tried to learn how to build our platform, but don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Obviously we are missing something, many somethings if you ask me! We are old, but have never considered that an excuse, but some days it would be nice to have a younger more receptive brain.
What we would appreciate, is someone casting an eye over our website http://www.anitajaydawes.net , just to see if there are any glaring holes or errors?
We are probably not alone in this quandary either, so plenty of untapped material here!
I’ll take a look.
thank you Roger, you have just two old ladies very happy!
As others have said fitting the writing in and balancing the workload. Especially applies to the headache of promoting my work when I only have one published novel and in the hands of the publishers, so no freebies or gifts… except the ones I pay for and they get sales from.
Look for a future blog post. Hopefully I’ll be able to help you.
As well as the other comments all of which I totally understand the other is that old nightmare of self doubt, you write something, you edit it, you edit it again, then again, then you sit staring at it, leave it a few days come back edit it again and no matter what anyone tells you, you are still convinced it could be better and so you keep going back over it and never hit the send button to submit it to anywhere or is that just me?
Great future blog post. Look for it, as I have some practical things to try to get you over this.
My biggest hurdle is seeing my work through to the end. After reading what I’ve written I tend to lose faith that what I am working on is actually worth writing.
My biggest hurdle is finding the motivation at the end of the day to continue my current work in progress. Blog in the morning and work during the day, so by six PM I’m fairly spent. Then it’s sitting down and writing a thousand or so words–sometimes less, sometimes more–to keep whatever story I have before me continuing to the end. It can be a struggle, and I have had moments when I wanted to walk away and do something else.
Then again, that can be writing in a nutshell: a struggle. But if you want to do it, you do it. Sit and write, and be happy you’re moving ahead a thousand words at a time.
Great comment, Cassidy! I’ll incorporate this into a post next week.
Balancing a ridiculously busy day job and frantic family life with writing. And trying to not feel guilty when I do actually write.
Consider that a future blog post!
how to stay motivated to finish my WIP. Christmas sidetracked me. Then I got sick. Can’t seem to get back to writing!!
A future blog post. Look for it this coming week!