Perhaps the biggest
challenge of writing, from my perspective, is keeping your head in
the right place. It can be easy to get giddy when things go well or
downcast when they go badly.
There’s also the
writing equivalent of mid-term blues. Halfway through a first draft
the initial enthusiasm will have faded but you’ll still be miles
away from the light at the end of the tunnel (and the redrafting).
Not unlike gambling,
staying cool is the way to go. Keep yourself in check, not unlike
being the other person on a see-saw. If you’re in danger of getting
cocky/giddy, just remind yourself you’re not JK Rowling (NB this
does not work if you are JK Rowling, in which case use JRR Tolkien).
If you’re feeling a
bit lost, just take a break, assess where you are, what you need to
achieve in the short term, and set about it [if you’ve previously
written a book, remind yourself that you’ve been through this
before and dealt with it then]. If you’re wracked with self-doubt,
remember that every writer has felt that way.
If in doubt, just keep
buggering on. Write every day, even if only a little. As the Chinese
say: don’t be afraid of walking very slowly. Only be afraid of
standing still.
Thaddeus
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