What I’m listening to: Fix You by Coldplay
Today starts a mini-marathon. In an attempt to get ahead of work so I can come home from vacation without stressing, I’m on a quest to write four small (750-word) articles by Friday. Fingers crossed.
After having a great conversation on the phone last week with a fellow writer, I’d like to introduce you to someone.
I know a writer who has great ideas, almost like they are an idea magnet. They know how to generate ideas, how to envision where the ideas will go, even how to put a plan around them. They’re great ideas — ones that propel careers into new galaxies. So the writer plans. And plans. And plans some more.
And nothing ever comes of it. I know this writer —
It’s you. And it’s me.
That’s right. I’m copping to the same crime — for it is a crime to have great ideas and then expect those ideas to make themselves happen. We’ve all done it. We’ve all had fantastic ideas, even ideas we’ve either located elsewhere or paid someone to teach us. We know this is it! This is the thing that’s going to push us beyond our earnings goals! No one can stop us now!
No one, that is, except us.
I get it, freelance writer. I get that the ideas, no matter how fabulous, require a little bit of effort, maybe even a lot. I get that we are even willing to do the work, no matter how hard. And yet….
Inertia.
What’s happening? Why are we letting our big ideas die without lifting a finger? Because we’ve convinced ourselves that we have one or more roadblocks standing between us and our goals.
It’s all lies. None of what we think is getting in our way matters. Not one thing is blocking us. We’re just lying to ourselves. Here are some of the lies we accept:
I lack time. Are you reading this blog right now? How long will that take you, five minutes to read and comment? That’s five minutes you could spend mapping out the first steps of implementing your ideas. Not that I necessarily want you to stop reading the blog, but prioritize. Do what you need to in order to make your dreams come true first. Then come back and tell us about it.
It’s already been done. News flash — it’s ALL been done before. You’re not the first freelance writer and you won’t be the last. That didn’t stop you. Instead of talking yourself out of it, spend that time playing with new ways to turn that idea into your own. Tweak it, test it, tweak it some more. Just because it’s been done doesn’t mean it’s been perfected. That’s where you come in.
It’s new and it has a learning curve. So did writing when you first started out, didn’t it? So you don’t fully understand WordPress (speaking about my own weakness here) or you don’t quite get how to market without sounding wooden. Learn. Read. Practice. Try.
I’m still tweaking it. You’re seriously still tweaking that brochure seven months later? You’re sitting on that book manuscript, which is fantastic, because you’re thinking you should update it after four years? That, my friend, is called fear. You tell yourself it’s not perfect, it’s not ready yet when the truth is you’re not ready yet. To repeat my favorite phrase, suck it up, buttercup. Shut down the negative thoughts, shove that project out there and get back in the game.
My plan isn’t finalized. Come on. Let’s just refer to the last point. It’s fear of failure talking. Take five minutes, fifteen minutes, two hours and finalize the damn plan, will you? Plans are meant to be altered anyway, so get used to adapting and changing as you go.
The timing isn’t right. Why exactly? If you wait for the ideal time to do anything, you’re going to find that no time is quite right, and you’ll be sitting here three, four, six years later. Still waiting for that right time. Just give yourself a deadline and do it.
What if I fail? That’s a common thought. Let’s replace that with a completely uncommon thought — “What if I succeed?” There. That perspective is a bit better, isn’t it? And why wouldn’t you succeed? It’s you. You’ve already succeeded at starting and running a freelance writing business. You’ve got this.
Writers, how did you get over letting your ideas get stuck in limbo?
What was the biggest roadblock between you and getting that idea off the ground? How long did it take you to get past it?
What advice do you have for writers who are clinging to inertia?
5 responses to “7 Writing Roadblocks (and how to remove them)”
Great article Lori, they’re not just writing roadblocks. They’re roadblocks to anything worthwhile
Excellent point, Tayo. We do tend to block our own progress in many ways, don’t we?
Boy, who doesn’t relate to this? I often feel overwhelmed. With personal and professional issues. When I bring that to a conscious level, I think baby steps. I need to stop looking at the destination, and start the frickin’ journey. I always say even baby steps move you forward.
Fear definitely plays a major role in my unfulfilled dreams. And I use my Rolodex of excuses. If I go back to the baby steps and think about how fearless babies are when they start, perhaps I can hit that destination.
Thanks for the dose of reality, Lori. ☺
Cathy, it was our conversation that inspired this. 🙂 I know it wasn’t anything really about this, but it did hit on something for me. We’ve all been there — I’ve been there a few times early on, and I still have to push myself sometimes.
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