Writing Challenges All Writers Face (and How to Overcome Them)
Being a writer in our day and age may seem pointless at first. After all, doesn’t everyone spend their time watching Netflix and scrolling through social media? Luckily, there are still many people who read either online publications or actual books. And as long as there are readers, there will be writers.
However, even if it may seem easy at first, being a writer comes with its own challenges. Whether you are an experienced author or you are just an amateur writer, here are some writing challenges you might face (and how to overcome them).
Starting Out
One of the most difficult steps to take is actually starting out as a writer. Some people have been avid readers their whole lives, but once it comes to writing a book, they feel hopeless, confused, or even overwhelmed. All of these feelings are completely natural, but it’s not worth worrying about these things too much.
The best way to get started is to actually sit down and force yourself to write something. Stare at that blank page for some time, but don’t let it stare at you back. Instead, fill it up with words, even if it’s a stream of consciousness and you later find out that your writing makes no sense. Congratulations, you are on your way to becoming a writer!
Being Disturbed
One of the writing challenges that often gets ignored is the fact that not every writer has a space for writing. You might be constantly disturbed even being at home (if you have a family). At work, you need to pay attention to your job. So, where can you write in peace?
Well, there are many options. First, consider going to your favorite café, park, restaurant, or another public space that is relatively quiet. Second, check out local co-working spaces where you can spend an hour or more just peacefully writing. Third, try to set up a writing space at home and establish hours when you shouldn’t be disturbed by anyone in the household.
Poor Vocabulary
You will be surprised but there are many writers just like you who constantly struggle to come up with the right word to describe what they want to convey to the reader. Alternatively, you might be struggling from perpetually poor vocabulary, so every time you proofread your work, you realize that your writing sounds too simple.
The best way to enrich your vocabulary is by reading regularly. Try to find literature that will be above your reading level which will encourage you to use the thesaurus from time to time and gradually learn new words. You can also regularly look up synonyms to the words you normally use so that you can spice up your writing a bit.
Lack of Time
Another problem you might encounter is the lack of time. Between work, family, hobbies, and maybe even studying, you might simply have no time left for writing. In some cases, this can be solved with better time management, but in others, you will need to look for alternatives.
For example, you can hire a professional writer from a custom writing service reviews site like Rated by Students who will do some of the tasks for you (e.g. create an outline for your book, proofread your work, etc.) This way, you will be able to write even with the small amount of time you currently possess.
Unhealthy Lifestyle
No matter whether you are a full-time writer or you are combining it with your current job, you may find that a writer’s life is often accompanied by an unhealthy lifestyle. Some writers decide to ignore signals from their mind and body while others start stressing out even more about their health.
However, there is no need to panic if you noticed that your physical or mental health is becoming worse. Take your time to analyze what the issue is and how you can solve it. No exercise? Start jogging in the morning or before bed. Poor nutrition? Learn to cook simple healthy meals. Not enough sleep? Set an alarm clock to remember to go to bed on time.
Fear of Rejection
Many writers struggle with their self-esteem and confidence, but even if you don’t have such issues, you might still experience the fear of rejection. What if you don’t find a publisher? What if you don’t find an audience? What if your books don’t sell well anymore after a few years into your career?
If you are worried about such things, take a deep breath and try to think about everything in a logical way. If you have chosen the self-publishing route, you can always hire writers from the top writing reviews sites to write first reviews from you and get the word out about your book and kickstart your career. If you have chosen the traditional publishing route, then you need to attend relevant events and keep networking to find a literary agent and a publisher.
Publishing
This brings us to the last challenge you might encounter which is publishing itself. Depending on what you write, there will be vastly different options for you to consider. You might simply want to keep a personal blog or you may want to become a world-renowned fantasy writer. Whatever the case is, you need to know what your ultimate goal is.
Once you know what you want to achieve in terms of writing, you can accurately evaluate your options for publishing. Sometimes, simply publishing everything online yourself will be enough. In this case, you need to study the legal aspect of things and perform the right actions to ensure that you can continue self-publishing. However, if you start working with a traditional publisher, you still need to do enough research to know your rights.
Concluding Thoughts
As you can see, overcoming challenges as a writer is not that difficult. With a good routine, you can avoid many complicated situations, but even if you do find yourself experiencing problems, use the tips in this article to help you find a solution and get back to writing.