“You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” Zig Ziglar
If I look up the definition of “writer” I’m sure it’ll say something like an individual who puts pen to paper or fingertips to keys and creates spectacular prose on a regular basis.
Ugh.
I have a tendency to overthink.
I know what really counts is the act of doing and not just the thinking about it. Words are firing away in my brain 24 hours a day but they don’t always make it onto the page. And, sometimes I sit before the page and agonize to get them out.
Am I really meant to be a writer? I’m my own worst enemy.
I know I can write but it’s the discipline part that I struggle with. There’s always some excuse but for me, it’s more about giving myself a break…no, not a coffee break or a nap (oh doesn’t a nap sound lovely right about now)—the break I’m referring to is about allowing myself to write without fear of reprisal.
Writing is not meant to be a competitive sport.
There will always be someone who is better but no one can write what I write because it comes from within. Each and every one of us is unique in voice, style, and experience. That’s what makes writing not only gratifying but also difficult.
By putting my own thoughts out into the world I leave myself wide open to judgment. Is the writing any good? Does it speak to the reader? Does it sound stupid? Am I doing the language justice? What will people think?
All of these doubts and questions constantly circulate and breathe between the sentences, the paragraphs…the chapters.
These intrinsic writer insecurities are why I have piles of half-finished stories, character ramblings, and outlines of projects left incomplete. I know I’m not alone.
I must remind myself on a constant basis that I don’t have a monopoly on insecurity and doubt. I do however, possess the acumen and fortitude to create and bewilder.
Right now I must write. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks because it’s mine.
I’ve taped Ziglar’s quote near my computer where I can read it on a regular basis.
To continue on as a successful writer I know and recognize the need to change my own internal dialogue (against myself and the reader) within my own twisted writer brain. Onwards I go.
#MyTwistedWriterBrain #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
Wow, I truly resonate with this entry. I have procrastinated and feared writing for years, yet the words are starting to bubble up and are begging to be released. I share many of the same insecurities (is it stupid? is my writing any good? will anyone read it) yet still feel the need to write. At least for myself and to release the constant whirrings of thoughts. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Rebecca! Wow. Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m so glad that My Twisted Writer Brain is helping others. The craft of writing is a slippery slope sometimes but just keep writing. At this point you don’t have to care what everyone thinks…just about how you feel. Enjoy the process there’s lots of time to worry about the other stuff. Keep reading.