When you feel badly about your writing

PrincessFiona · Sep 22, 2013

I'm not sure where this should go, so I decided to post it here. I don't know why, but in recent weeks, I have felt very bad about my writing in general. I went from feeling good about most of my memoir and like I only had some tweeking left to do, to feeling deeply dissatisfied with the quality of my writing. I suddenly feel that my writing is uninteresting and that it might even be an embarrassment.

I'm not sure what happened.

I've tried setting my work aside and coming back to it, but I've read the text so many times that I'm not able to read it any more with enthusiasm.

My husband and a few beta readers have encouraged me to move forward with it. I feel like putting it away and letting it rot in a drawer. LOL.

I don't know if this is because my memoir struck a painful nerve, whether I'm simply feeling a bit depressed, or perhaps ... worst of all ... that my personal criticisms of my work are valid.

Has anyone else ever been through something like this? Am I alone in feeling this way? How did you move past it?

Kris

Siri Kirpal · Sep 22, 2013

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I have felt that way...but for chapters, not whole books. I'd say, set it aside for a few weeks and work on something else. Sometimes when I've worked on something else, the problem I was having refocuses. Typically, I just need to remove the opening paragraph and edit out a few extraneous words. Not saying that's what it will be with you. But without reading your book, I couldn't make a judgment. So, how good a writer/reader is your husband? Ditto those betas?

However, don't query a book you feel dissatisfied with. Wait.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

khobar · Sep 22, 2013

PrincessFiona said:
I'm not sure where this should go, so I decided to post it here. I don't know why, but in recent weeks, I have felt very bad about my writing in general. I went from feeling good about most of my memoir and like I only had some tweeking left to do, to feeling deeply dissatisfied with the quality of my writing. I suddenly feel that my writing is uninteresting and that it might even be an embarrassment.

I'm not sure what happened.

I've tried setting my work aside and coming back to it, but I've read the text so many times that I'm not able to read it any more with enthusiasm.

My husband and a few beta readers have encouraged me to move forward with it. I feel like putting it away and letting it rot in a drawer. LOL.

I don't know if this is because my memoir struck a painful nerve, whether I'm simply feeling a bit depressed, or perhaps ... worst of all ... that my personal criticisms of my work are valid.

Has anyone else ever been through something like this? Am I alone in feeling this way? How did you move past it?

Kris

Short answer - if you've put the work to one side to recharge your creative batteries and that hasn't helped then:

It could be that your memoir has opened an old wound and are aware of it subconsciously.

It could also be that you're getting stage fright and are subconsciously sabotaging your efforts so you don't have to face the "real" critics.

And it could be your work isn't really finished and subconsciously you know that.

This is where you might start wanting a baseball bat to take out that subconscious so you can get on with things, BUT don't be too quick.

Answer this: in one sentence or two explain what your memoir is about. If you can do that then the doubts you're having are likely just little annoyances. If you can't do that then you need to figure out why.

Good luck.

Literateparakeet · Sep 23, 2013

Yes, I have that same situation with one of my projects right now. Ack! It is so frustrating isn't it? To feel so "meh" about something that seemed right and important before. This has happened to me in the past and sometimes I let some time pass and that helps (not because I got time away from the writing but because time away allows my depression or whatever to lift.)

This time I think it is just self-doubt from facing too many rejections, so I'm moving forward with it. I hope I don't embarrass myself too much, LOL!

I like Khobar's list of ideas...'tis true it could be anyone of those. It is hard to know. Listen to your intuition, it knows. Then respond to that...take time or push ahead.

Whatever you do, keep writing. If you decide to put this in the drawer for a time, work on something else. That is my biggest regret over my years of writing is that at one point I got discouraged and stopped writing for a time. If I hadn't done that, I would be farther ahead now. So don't quit, just write something else if you need to.

PrincessFiona · Sep 23, 2013

What great comments. Thank you so much for responding. I think that there are a few things that are true.

I do think that this has opened up old wounds and that I need to address that. My writing has made me feel exposed and uncomfortable.

I also asked for critique here in the appropriate forum and I allowed the criticisms that I asked for (duh!) to create self-doubt. I specifically asked for help with the chapter I was having the most trouble with. I was grateful for the suggestions and at the same time, I took them personally. How is that for crazy! I know that's my problem, btw. Frankly, I feel that using the suggestions improved my writing greatly. I am glad that I asked. Still, I feel weird about it. LOL.

Interestingly, when I read my text out loud, I find it more enjoyable. I believe that I have read my words to death. That might be part of the reason that they sound boring to me.

Thanks so much for your responses. They have given me food for thought and helped me to feel less alone.

kris

SunshineonMe · Nov 1, 2013

How are you doing with it now, PrincessFiona? Have you been able to get back to it with enthusiasm? I hope it's taken some of the pain away from the old wounds.

When you feel badly about your writing

PrincessFiona

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

khobar

Be constructive

Literateparakeet

Nerdy Budgie

PrincessFiona

SunshineonMe

practical experience, FTW