We are the protagonists of our own writing life.
So if you’re struggling with your creative goals or sticking to a writing routine, let’s dig into your wants, needs, and writing obstacles to better understand your creative why.
Much like our protagonists have an external want and an internal need, so do we as authors.
Our wants could be:
- A book deal
- Fame
- Being a Reese/Jenna/Oprah/whomever book club pick
- And the list goes on and on and on with options
Our needs could be:
- To be heard
- To share
- To let others know they are not alone
- To honor our childhood dreams
- Etc…
And like our protagonists, there is typically something standing in our way. Our antagonists/obstacles could be:
- Time
- Finances
- Self-doubt
- Caregiving responsibilities
- Fear
- And all the other things that keep your pen from your paper
Our characters also have misbeliefs. That thing that they think is true that is keeping them from what they actually need.
Your misbelief could look something like:
- Fear of failure
- You have to be good at something to enjoy it or justify doing it
- Only things that pay are worthy of your time/energy
- It’s selfish to take time for writing
- If you’re not writing, you aren’t a writer
Let’s put it all together to determine our creative whys.
Why must you create?
Why do you write?
What does it mean to you?
What is burning within you?
What do you have to say/share with the world?
What does creating bring to you?
How does it make you feel?
Explore these questions in some free-writing and see if you can distill it down to one or two sentences. Your creative why may end up looking something like:
I write to better understand myself and the world around me. I write to be a part of a community that supports books and reading.
Every strong story has a protagonist willing to take action, to make decisions, take risks, make mistakes.
Are you taking action as a writer? What action can you take today to honor the creative within?
- Create a schedule
- Set a writing date with a friend
- Enter a contest or a challenge
- Explore ideas that are outside your comfort zone
- Read outside your genre
- Pick up a new craft book
- Join a writing organization
- Go on an Artist’s Date
As you take action in your writing, look out for that misbelief. Where does it show up for you in your creative practice? Notice and acknowledge it when it happens. Get curious about when and how it’s showing up and see if you can’t find a way to let it teach you something new about your writing, your story, your process.
Understanding our individual creative whys as well as our own misbeliefs about our work can help us overcome writer’s block and procrastination. It’s not a miracle cure, but it can help when the going gets rough.
So take a moment to work through these questions about your writing life. The answers may be different for different projects, so when you feel yourself lagging or putting the work aside more days than you’d like, try exploring them again.
Be the protagonist of your own writing life and look forward to an amazing adventure.