A few common challenges faced by a first-time writer
Writing can be a therapy, an escape or even the opposite, writing varies in purpose from person to person. Writing however we can agree, is expression. Maybe that expression is to impress your peers, maybe that expression is of your agony or maybe you are ecstatic and overjoyed at something and you simply want to share your experience with the world. Writing as I said fulfils various purposes for various people. In this short blog, we are probably not going to talk much about the purpose or the meaning of writing as such, but it sure will come into play in bits and pieces. We are however going to focus more on the act of writing, how distractions can create problems and how you can find solutions to them probably. Probably is the word here because unlike math’s, nothing is predetermined in this noble act of writing.
One of the more infamous distractions or rather a bit more than a distraction a writer faces is the dreaded Writers Bloc, well it’s not a writers recreation club, nor a type of brain disease, it’s a creative limbo, a stagnation of thoughts, a stoppage of ideas. Writers want to write but simply do not find the will or rather the material to pen down. And this causes great anxiety, the anxiety of wasting time. The solution to this is not quite what people imagine. Yes, taking a break is the answer. Now working for a few days, not forcing yourself to write just for the sake of completing work is the key here.
One of the other key problems a writer faces is, what should they write on. Now the solution can be pretty simple, I can suggest you write on something that inspires you, something that steals your sleep, something that keeps you on your toes. But this advice would be a bit vague. One of the other issues a writer faces is the mirage syndrome which I like to call. They come across come idea and try to remember a keyword or two and think that that would be enough for them to recall the idea when they finally get writing. They don’t, they may remember just the idea but completely forget the essence. For this the solution is old-school. Keeping a notebook handy and noting down the idea whenever it comes in great detail and maybe even penning a few lines then and there. Writing is a continuous process, you do not want to start in the future, but rather nurture and fertilize the idea in the future.
The third problem faced by writers is they try to sort out the monitory aspect of writing in the beginning. Never let the desire for monetary gain seduce you in the beginning. Monitory gains must always be a sign of your writing success, not a symptom, by that I mean is that you must look at money or monetary gain as a sign that may or may not probably happen, not as a symptom that can affect and change you. You must therefore diligently choose this as a career after much reflection and thinking as it is risky. Moreover, you’ll probably not get noticed by any traditional publisher willing to risk their money on your debut work. You can minimize the risk by self-publishing from reputed publishers like Orange Publishers.
The final problem is a problem that is perhaps the curse of the literary world; Confidence. There are probably thousands of exceptional writers out there who have kept their phenomenal works under wraps in the dark because of a lack of confidence, because of the fear that their work may not be received well by the audience, may not make an impact. The problem with this approach is that, unless you bring out your work to the open, you can never be certain if it’s a success or not. The fear of judgement may seem tough but it’s like taking a leap of faith. Work tirelessly, complete your work, and just take a leap of faith out into the world without caring too much. Either it’s a hit or miss if it’s a hit well and fine if it’s a miss, well try again, who’s stopping you.
These are a few challenges a first-time writer may face but if they just stick to their plan and complete the work, there will always be us at Orange Publishers willing to accept the work they choose to self-publish. Keep writing, keep expressing.