Sorry I’ve been absent lately. I haven’t really discussed my WIP here or on Facebook because I’ve been moving at a slug’s pace. I’m over halfway through the first draft of my latest project and it’s…it’s… Let’s just say I’m at That Point. That point where most of us get. If you are a writer, you know exactly what I mean. And if you don’t know what I mean, please, for the love of all that is bookish, never tell anyone! For you are blessed, and no one wants to know because frankly we wouldn’t believe you anyway!
Yes, I’m at that point in my project where I want to bang my head against a wall, pull my hair out, delete everything, and bang my head again (I prefer head banging).
Everything sucks!! There is no reason to continue! I want to quit! The little voice inside my head is telling me that it’s not worth it, no one will read this garbage let alone enjoy it.
You see? We’ve been here before. It’s not new. If you are creative, you’ve been here. Whether you are a writer, a painter, or a basket weaver.
Self-doubt.
It can cripple projects and make people give up on dreams. It’s our “could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve.” This is where our biggest regrets come from. The fear of failure, of rejection, of humiliation.
And some people can’t move past That Point. That Wall is thick after all. It’s also forged with bricks, spiders, heights, and grade-school bullies. Everything that can leave you shaking in the knees and begging for it all to just go away.
What should we do about it? This is where I am right now. I have many questions about my current project that make up my Wall.
Will I have enough to make this two books?
Should I cram everything into only one?
Do I really have enough resolution for the ending of the first to split it into two?
Is this plot getting away from me?
Then there are publishing matters. I want to start promoting the project because I know that was my mistake for my debut Caly’s Piece. However, I’m stuck. I might not have the funds to self-pub again so there’s little point to release teasers and get people interested when I can’t deliver the goods–probably for quite sometime.
After all the headaches and all the strife, what should I do?
Keep going.
The bottom line is- I’m doing this for me. It’s something that I love to do. It’s something that elicits extreme emotions- happy days, sad days, days I want to fly, and days I can only cry.
But I love it still.
The Wall can’t stop me.
I will claw, and punch, and head bang my way through it until I am finished because that is who I am.
I want to share a few quotes that I love-
What about you?
Do you have methods to break through your wall?
Do you like to head bang? \m/
~Jen
jmmillerwrites 