Challenges faced by Writers

Writers are those artists who create worlds in which people can submerge. But while they may be magicians who seem to create fantastic stories out of thin air, they have their own set of problems too. Some of these problems are unique to first time writers while others are more generic. Here are the biggest challenges writers face and their solutions.

1) Editing while writing

The attraction to go back to the previous day’s work and edit it until it is perfect is remarkably strong. The problem with this is that a scene will never be perfect because you can always think of different things to add or delete.

Develop the habit of resuming where you left off when you sit down to work. Once you get hooked up with what you are currently writing, you will be able to leave the previous work alone.

2) Never-ending research

Research is important. Extensive research is even better. But you cannot devote the whole day to research because you have a book to write. Getting mired in research which is not useful will become a huge problem.

Try to devote a particular time for specific research. Explore only reputed sources for your research so that you can get it finished without spending all your whole day to it.

3) Distraction by the internet

Sitting at your laptop to write, finding yourself checking your email, then your social media accounts. You gradually start checking out links and before you know it, you are well on your way to wasting time.

You have a job to do, so first try and get some work done before you mired yourself in other things. Maybe you could reward yourself after a certain amount of work with a little time to waste. Get rid of your phone while writing, or switch to a basic version.

4) In love with your work

You enjoyed creating a character and filling it with all your cherished characteristics. Now you are sitting and wondering if it is too good to be true. Then there are all those scenes, which don’t fit into the story but you don’t want to let it go.

Find an editor who will help you with a more balanced outlook. What’s more, listen to this person, because you need some distance from your work too.

5) Forgetting brilliant ideas

You are out with friends or travelling to work, and it suddenly comes to you exactly how to solve a problem in the plot. By the time you are done with whatever you are doing, you forgot everything.

A habit of carrying a memo card or mini diary and a pencil with you will solve this problem. If this is too much to remember, just download an app such as ColorNote and jot down your thoughts quickly.

6) Not taking seriously

Writing is not considered a serious career by most of the people. Leave alone your friends, random strangers might come across as patronizing to hear about your full-time or part-time work. It can be frustrating and seriously disheartening and can demotivate you.

There is no alternative but to let the harshness roll off your back. Maybe you could point out they are being rude or let it go and focus on your work.

7) Lack of your partner's support

If your partner does not believe in your work, he or she might make it difficult for you to write. Many writers face a lack of understanding and support from their spouses. Your partner might assign you household chores just when you want to write or insist that you should earn more money by doing something else.

This is a serious problem that can only be solved by having a face to face talk with your spouse and explain your plans and future goals to them. Maintain your working hours but also be available for your partner’s needs.

8) Overwriting

You simply unable to stop writing even when the points of that particular piece have been long explained and done with. You are bursting not just with ideas, but also with words that want to just spill out.

Find an editor, preferably a ruthless editor who will cut down on the size of your work. You should be sure your readers don’t want to read a filler of a novel!

9) Not enough time to write

With a full-time job, a partner, and children you might unable to make time to write. Everything seems to stop you to write any further.

While it is important to earn money and give time to your relationships, you must find time to complete your desire to write. Be discipline and organize your schedule to fit in everything you need to do. Waking up early in the morning and getting a good bite of writing is a great way to start the day.

10) Negative feedback

You have written a book into which you poured out all your heart, time, energy, and then someone comes in and writes a nasty review on Amazon or Goodreads. You feel tempted to respond with a defense, telling them that they are wrong.

If you are sensitive to negative feedback, it is best to not read those reviews at all. It is wise not to respond to any review either positive or negative. Also, please don’t give five stars to your book just because no one else has done so!

11) Dealing with rejection

So, you have written the best book you can write and want to share it with the world. You seek out different publishers but get constantly rejected. This can lead to frustration and depression.

Fortunately, there is more than one way to get your work across to your readers. Consider self- publication, like OrangeBooks Publication, to put your first book out there. They can help you manage to get a decent readership.

12) Being judged for your genre writing

Some genres, such as romance, are not important enough for people to take you seriously as a writer. This can lead to major consequences in your writing career.

The silver lining is that there are more than enough takers for every genre that a writer cares to explore. Not every reader likes everything, so concentrate on the people who do like the genre you are writing in and aim your marketing towards them.

13) The money matters

You are not earning much, or anything from your book because you haven’t yet finished writing it or your first one was not received well. This is a major problem for many writers and sometimes, they give up writing due to disheartening.

Continue with your day job so that the money keeps coming in. If you want to fully submerge yourself in writing and not want to work full-time, devote a few hours to work as a freelance writer.

14) Social media

If you are self-publishing, you need to put yourself out there and do a lot of marketing on social media. But Twitter and Facebook can cram up your time and before you know it, the entire day is gone.

Devote a couple of hours every day specifically for marketing and catching up with fans. If you enjoy hanging out online, then use it as a reward to yourself after completing the day’s work.

15) Every story is unique

You have a nice plot all planned out and then in the middle of the writing, you discover that your novel has gone somewhere else, something you had not planned of.

You have two choices. One, go with the flow and see if it leads anywhere good. If not, you can return to your original outline. The other is to carefully consider which parts can fit into your original plan and scrap the remaining.

16) Plagiarism

This is a serious problem that many writers face, especially today when the internet is a melting pot of everything ever grasped of by humanity.

Drop an email to the concerned person and ask them to remove their work. If they fail to do so, then consider taking legal action. You have worked hard at your book and there is no reason why someone else should take credit for it.

17) USP

There are hundreds of thousands of books on the market by different authors, and many of them are good. There is some serious competition out there. How exactly do you plan to get noticed in this circus?

Your book is more likely to be noticed if it deals with a unique concept and not a copy of what’s already in the market. Another way to get noticed is to come up with a catchy title.

18) Writer’s block

Writer’s block can hit you at any time and you might get stuck with your book. There are different ways in which the writer’s block can affect you. As it stands, this is one of the biggest challenges any writer will ever face.

It is best to take a break for a few days and then return to work. If this does not work, then maybe you can give your work a different track. If you are completely out of fresh ideas, try out some creative writing to get you started.