Discouragement/Encouragement

Publishing discourages me from writing.

My royalty payments discourage me from writing.
The fact that I get depressed when I stop is the reason I keep going.

My own doubts discourage me. My critique partners and betas encourage me. Not that it has to be praise to keep me going, but just getting feedback lights that fire again, to make it the best it can be, that it is possible.

Rejection sucks. But successful writers are those who have learned to push past any discouragement and keep working. Take a break maybe, go on vacation, just get back to work.

Jeff

Is what I'm writing total rubbish?
There are already so many books out there being ignored, what are the chances of mine being noticed?
Agents and publishers and authors saying how hard it is.
Most authors make next to no money.
Am I wasting my time? Should I just stop fooling myself?
Life would be far easier if I didn't want to write. I wouldn't, for one thing, need to think about all the above.

On the other hand:
The one and only true thing on my bucket list? For better or worse, I want to write at least one book.
You never know: it might be OK.
What the hell. You only live once.

Not being able to plow ahead without thinking about what sells. There could be a variety of reasons for this. Most can be solved by using a timer.

I was able to get a 5,000 word short story done after like many years, because I was writing without having to trudge through random posts that like to complain about genres I happen to like to write about and other issues.

I've even stopped considering writing for genre even that useful any more, because at least somebody will say something irritating like "oh your trying to write hunger games." No I'm not, just because it' dystopia doesn't make it like Hunger Games. ... At all.

god discourages me. satan roots me on.

I discourage me.

The fact that I can't think of what else to do with myself at present, um..."encourages" me....

(floats naked through the ambivalence)

(cuz fat floats)

Rejections. And I was okay at dealing with them up for a while, but at a certain point, it just feels a bit much.

Plus my inability to write novel-length pieces.

And I'm such a slooooow writer. It's so frustrating.

And I'm not any good at promo.

Sometimes I feel like writing is something I cling to because it's a dream I've had since I was 7, but I don't even know if I like it anymore. I mean, sometimes it's a good escape, but usually it's just a slog. And then I wonder if I think that because I'm depressed, but I'll probably always be depressed...

My mind is such a sad, scary place. I don't know why anyone would want anything to do with it.

/end depressing rant

Rejections. People who say nice things but then you discover they say the same thing to everyone. Depression. Frustration.

Encourages me? Those voices in my head that have to be shut up. My dearest best friend and beta reader.

Nothing discourages me.

Yeah, I have doubts and fears from time to time, same as every other writer. But I've never doubted this is what I want to do, what I'm going to do, and that, eventually, I'll succeed at it.

Having a handful of sales under my belt encourages me harder

My perfectionism discourages me.

Love for my characters encourages me, and that incredible feeling of fulfillment that comes on the occasions that I read something back, and it's good.

What discourages me at this time in my life is the time that it takes.

What encourages me is the rush that you get in creating something.

I love to write.

I can't say anything has ever discouraged me from writing. I truly enjoy the process of sitting down and writing. It's a fun way to spend time, and I sell most of what I write.

I worked a lot of manual labor jobs, and did a lot of very dangerous things to make money, and, admittedly, for the excitement, before becoming a writer, and the memory of how hard some of that work was, and how little it paid, makes being a writer extra special.

I am not so much discouraged as overworked. I have no doubts that I can write neat stuff, I just occasionally get days when I have to do ALL THE THINGS and then words on page do not occur.

I don't know if exhaustion counts as being discouraged, though.

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

Discouraging: Thoughts that there's no real reason to be writing.

Encouraging: Writers' euphoria. A sense that the book needs to be written.

Above list does not include moments of encouragement, discouragement that come from other people.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I am encouraged by the writing I do every day. I seriously love to write. I am discouraged by outside negativity, but even that can be an encourager if looked at in the right perspective.

Royalties/sales encourage me. Lack of sales discourages me.

Discouraging..hmm

Royalties...generally discouraging (and I thought I could make a living doing this stuff)

Sales when they are flat.

Encouraging?

Getting to play author at the conventions and being on the other side of those panels for once. Meeting great people and taking a tax write off on everything.

Sales when they are not flat (g)

Reviews!

Sitting comfortably with the wife and quasi-watching TV whilst pecking at my laptop on the current WIP.

Kerry

Changing my mind constantly about where the story should go. So much that I forget where I was yesterday, and have to start all over again. That discourages me from writing.

The nagging fear that I will never have peace if I don't write what I need to write....keeps me going.

Reality discourages me. Escapism and dreams encourage me.

Well, depression. But that discourages me from everything.

Sometimes news of the market discourages me from wanting to publish, but nothing really drives me away from writing. I suspect I'll do it until I'm dead. I need to tell stories.

Like RedWombat, exhaustion (physical and mental) discourages me from writing. Low sales may get me depressed, but they don't really discourage me.

What encourages me most is reading. And reviewers who actually "get" my stories.