This week I've read a couple of articles that discussed the difficulties of writing and whether or not it is worth it. I will admit that writing IS hard. Anyone who tells you it isn't is lying. Some days I'd rather hide in a paper bag with my cat than sit at my computer and work. As to whether it is worth it or not, well I think the answer to that lies in why you write. One of the articles I read posted by writing coach, Suzanne Lieurance, compared writing to moving mountains.
So what is the hardest part of writing for you? For me I would say its finishing that first draft and then sticking with it through the revision. When I first start a new story, I can't wait to get started. For several days I'm in love with it, the characters, the world, it's all just wonderful. Then I get to the middle and somehow getting to the end seems very far away and I become as slow as a turtle.
But I plod through it knowing that whatever is wrong with the middle section or even that ending chapter can be fixed later. Once its done I celebrate and then go on to something new. Usually revising something else or working on a short story of some kind. Then I return to my manuscript with fresh eyes eager to revise and polish it. Until I get to the middle again and decide I don't like chapter fourteen or fifteen and I should completely rewrite them. Those are the days when I wonder is this really worth the hassle? Sometimes those days are harder to get through than writing after receiving a rejection. I've found that if I keep at it and then reward myself even in a very small way, it is worth it. I've accomplished something and I've brought a whole host of characters to life on a page.
What about you? What is the hardest part of writing for you and how do you work through it?
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