When You Have Nothing Left, Keep Writing

Keep writing.

Sometimes it can feel as though nobody gets you, as though what you have to say doesn’t matter. Like nobody cares or wants to listen. And like there are so many much better writers out there, so what can you possibly add? After a while it can feel like an impossibility, a pipe dream, and you wonder why you keep trying.

But keep writing.

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. A bunch of those supposedly much better writers feel the exact same way. They also wake up questioning what they are doing, thinking that it isn’t good enough. The poet who penned that beautiful, heart-wrenching sonnet you read in the latest anthology or litmag or email blast also worries about impact, whether those were really the “right” words, or if anyone truly got what they were trying to say. Even some prize-winning authors are floored by the fact their works were chosen for awards, and they may not feel wholly worthy. Many people struggle with thinking accolades are undeserved or that everyone will see through to the “real” them and not like what they find. Imposter syndrome is a tough cookie, and we are all our worst critics, in part because we know ourselves so intimately.

Writing is hard. Not just because you have to find the right words to convey what you want, but because doing so can be so vulnerable.

This is true of creative endeavors in general. I was an artist before I was a writer, and a professor of mine once likened hanging one’s art for all to see as a bit too akin to hanging oneself naked on the wall than many would like to admit. It is inherently uncomfortable, all the more so when you are new to it, starting out. This is also true of writing and music and theater. In putting your work out there, you allow others an opportunity to glimpse into your world, even if only to share beauty or commiserate over something unfair, and there is always that anxiety over whether or not anyone will get it. Or, worse yet, that they won’t even care or that they won’t like what you have to say. It is hard not to worry about judgment, even when you do well. We are social beings; we want to ensure we stay in good standing with others – and putting oneself out there creatively feels risky.

We may instinctively wait for the other shoe to drop so we can be ready when it does, whether or not it is likely to, even after we have proven ourselves.

Still, keep writing.

Your words have more meaning than you realize. They can touch others in ways you hadn’t expected, to help them to feel a little less alone, a little less isolated, a little more like someone else gets them. Just as others’ words have done for you. We all touch more peoples’ lives than we are ever fully aware of. This can hold true even if your words are very crude and raw, even if you don’t have as much mastery as you would like. Essentially, the more you write, the better you become. But there is always room for improvement, so don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things: attend a workshop, read about craft, attend an open mic, and so on. These things help to build confidence in yourself as a writer and to make connections that will help you get your writing out there where it can be read.

The act of submitting writing for publication (or art for showing or trying out for a part in a play or so on), especially before you have built a name for yourself, can be brutal.

The rejection cycle is harsh. It is difficult to feel like you’re getting anywhere when your inbox is full of “your work doesn’t suit our needs at this time”. And honestly, it doesn’t get any easier, not really.

You can still have your hopes dashed, though not necessarily in the same ways. You do get used to the rejection as a part of the creative landscape after a while, and that does make it easier to bounce back. But it still stings when you don’t get into something you had a lot of hope for. Even when you know it isn’t personal, when you know they had over 300 submissions for only twelve slots and your work just didn’t fit with anything else.

The key is that you can’t let it keep you down.

So, keep writing.

Your writing matters.

Even when the words seem heavy.

Especially when the words seem heavy.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

JENNIFER WEIGEL

Multi-disciplinary mixed media conceptual artist Jennifer Weigel lives in Kansas, USA. Weigel is an avid art collector and enjoys playing board and role-playing games, junk store thrifting, and mail art. Her kindred animal is the deer though if she were a dog she’d be a beagle. Weigel’s favorite foods are unagi don or broiled calamari steak and frosting with or without cake. Weigel was previously a staff writer for Haunted MTL and is now involved with Nat 1 Publishing. Author of Witch Hayzelle’s Recipes for Disaster trilogy and a myriad of short stories, poems, art discourse, and more drifting around the Interwebs. Learn more on her website here. https://jenniferweigelart.com/