There’s a reason our online writing program is called Tenacious Writing. We may love writing, we may love our books, we’ll keep progressing and moving forward, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going to be fun.
I was talking to one of our members in an open coaching call who said that they weren’t having any fun…and I admitted to them that: I wasn’t either.
The secret is, writing is hard and hard things aren’t always fun, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth doing.
(This is where the tenacity comes in.)
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, tenacious means, “persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.” We chose to call our program Tenacious Writing for that exact reason, because you will write this book.
Even if it sucks right now. Because sometimes it does. Sometimes writing simply sucks.
And in those times, it’s hard to want to show up.
When I’m not having fun, I can go weeks where I don’t want to sit down at my desk and write. Sometimes even when I force myself to show up, thinking the process will make it better, it still won’t be fun. I’ll try all the tools in my toolbelt to try and trick my brain: going out to coffee shops, meditating, investing in my writing environment. And it still won’t work. It still feels like it’ll suck until I get to the end and then I’ll have fun when I’m revising.
And it’s okay to acknowledge that! We can’t just cut out the negative emotions of this process. Sometimes writing can just be really hard. Sometimes we’re in the least favorite part of our writing process. But that’s the thing: there will always be phases we like more than others, but we still have to do all of them.
One of the ways to make those phases suck less, is to find the joy where you can.
If you’re a new writer or currently working on your first book, it can be hard to find joy in the unknown. You’re still figuring out what phases you enjoy and it can be a challenge to know what to expect.
A way to keep the joy is to remember this is a chance to experiment. You have an opportunity now to learn something new about yourself and your writing process. Try new things, find and follow what feels good, and talk to other writers about what brings them joy (and then try those things). If you love being cozy, make your writing space cozy. If you get inspired outdoors, consider how you can take your writing on the go. Stay curious, not critical, about the entire process.
Now that Rachel and I have a few books behind us, finding joy looks a little different. Yes, we hold onto the phases that we know brings us excitement but we also remind ourselves that we’ve done it before. Even when it’s hard, we have the self-trust in ourselves and our process to know that even when we’re in the thick of things sucking—we can write ourselves through it because we’ve done it in the past.
This experience also helps us build fortitude for those phases that we dislike.
For example, Rachel is currently in revisions and while she knows that once she’s deep in the revision process it will be much harder for her, right now she’s feeling mentally sturdy. Even when she has to add brand new scenes in the middle of revisions—which is her least favorite part of the process—she also knows eventually she’ll re-read the drafts once they’re done and be proud of their inclusion.
Writing can still suck, even if you have multiple published books, because every project is different.
My process is going to look a little different for every one, but each book informs how I approach my next project. Everything I learn about myself will continue to build and I earn more clarity on why something in the process isn’t fun for me.
I do want to make an important distinction though.
Writing can sometimes suck, but it shouldn’t always suck.
If you’re finding writing to be miserable all the time, if you’re never having fun with it, if you’re beating yourself up about your writing… That’s different; that means something else is happening in your process. This could be negative internal voices, burnout or perfectionism, or hustle culture shaming you about your process and writing.
If that’s happening to you—that’s not something you can push through. We’re not gritting our teeth and pushing through shame cycles. Instead, get curious. What’s going on and why? What self-worth or attachment are you putting on your writing? If you’re wanting to write but hating it every step of the way, take some time to assess what’s getting in your way.
When you’re in this place of writing sucks, please take care of yourself. Remember that the suck won’t last forever. We believe in you.
xo,
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