3 Things that Happen When You Stop Writing

UPDATE: I literally am guilty of having stopped writing and all of the things on this list currently apply to me. SHAME!

Practice makes perfect and I sure as hell have not been practicing. I cannot really expound on what the fudge I have been doing with my time, but most of it has not been constructive. I have been wrapped up and defeated by my own destructive tendencies. Thus, I have not been writing or blogging for months now. 

I feel shame and I feel guilt.

Every time someone asks about my novel I get stabbed in the back, by myself. The cast aside writer in me goes for the revenge kill.

I wonder if other wannabe writers go through the same ups and downs. One month I am hot to trot for writing and go all in, the next I am out of it. Back to thinking that my work is shit and that I cannot finish it. 

Then the guilt sets in.

Time to try again.

This leads to its own problems. Where do I start? Where the fudgesicle did I leave off in my work? What is my story even about?

Did I remember to put underwear on?

1. Your self-doubt and your ability to procrastinate increases exponentially. 

Aka "I cannot write for shit, so I am just going to watch Netflix." Questioning your work is normal, but it can be a problem in excess, just like anything else. This is especially true if you have a lack of confidence and self-destructive tendencies.

2. Your flow and creativity are broken. 

Writing and creativity breed like rabbits. The more you do the more you produce. The less you do the less you produce and the weaker you become.

Use it or lose it! 

If you take an extended break from writing it becomes harder and harder to get back into it. If you do manage to start again you will be practically starting from scratch. I am certainly finding this out right now. Today being the first day that I even started looking at my work again.

3. You lose your sense of purpose. 

I did not know what I was doing with my life. I knew I wanted to tell a story but couldn't get it out! Then when I did get it out, I retreated from the editing and the drafting. I felt overwhelmed so I quit and did not know what to do with myself.

I was lost.

Maybe I still am, but I have picked a direction. It may not be the fastest or the most direct, hell it may not even lead me to where I think I am going, but at least I have one.

Remember, this blog has always been about the trials and tribulations, along with the lessons learned, by a wannabe author. I speak only from my own experience in the hope of helping others and myself.