There are all sorts of reasons why writers fail, and if you are in the middle of writing a novel or you have just completed your first manuscript, you might want to know why writers fail and what you can do to not end up the same way.
Here are four reasons why writers struggle with reaching their writing goals.
Unrealistic Expectations
Many aspiring writers obsess about instant success and distant success. Instant success is the more common unrealistic expectation that new writers set for themselves. As soon as new writers get into the craft, they feel like they have the best idea that could undoubtedly become the next big novel or movie.
The problem is that if they expect it to get done in a few weeks or months, it is never going to happen. Writing a novel is not an overnight venture; writing is a craft that takes a lot of time to get good at. You start with learning the writing craft before you get to hone your skills constantly.
Finally, if you actually do have a great book idea, you must be patient as you develop it into something powerful and meaningful. On the other hand, there are writers who expect distant success. The underlying notion is that, often, newbie writers lack confidence or like to write but don’t believe in their ability to write the story that they have always been chasing after.
The writers who fall in the second category keep telling themselves that someday, in the distant future, maybe twenty years from now, that is when they will be able to go after their dream of becoming a renowned writer. It is easy to see why this is a terrible mentality to have.
The solution is to stay in the present moment and focus on giving your all right now. Instead of staying on the edge, you will want to lean into your fears and make things happen for you now.
Lack of Skill
The second reason writers fail is a lack of skill. This aspect applies to new and seasoned writers as well. Novice writers need to learn the craft and pay attention to how their favorite writers use various techniques to write engaging books. They also need to test out their storytelling styles; they need to make mistakes, learn from their mistakes, and grow over time.
The same applies to seasoned writers. Just because you have been writing for several years and have experience and success doesn’t mean that you stop learning. A skillset is a never-ending project, which is why you will want to be constantly learning over the course of your writing career.
Lack of Discipline
You cannot complete your writing project unless you are disciplined. Becoming a professional writer is all about reaching a milestone after the other, which includes creating the first draft, sending it to a professional editor or proofreader, writing a query letter, pitching a literary agent, and landing a good book deal.
As a professional author, you will also have to have your own website, such as these author websites, for marketing purposes and the promotion of your book. With an exclusive website, you will also be able to connect with your readers. You see – authorship is a long road to walk on, which is not possible without discipline.
Discipline is the underlying force that leads to success. If you don’t have the discipline to show up when you have the opportunity to write, and instead of writing, you are wasting your time on the internet, then this is a massive mistake.
As an aspiring writer, you need to figure out when you have the opportunity to sit down and write. You don’t necessarily have to write every day – but whenever you have the opportunity, and you miss the opportunity and do something else instead, you set yourself up for failure.
Ideally, you will want to create a schedule – even if it is twice a week if your weekend mornings are free and you have the opportunity to write. Stick to a schedule, show up, and make things happen for yourself. If you are disciplined and you overcome your fears and doubts along the way, you set yourself up for success.
Forcing a Story
Another reason many aspiring writers don’t succeed is that they force a story. They might start with a great story idea and get excited about transforming it into a great story to the point that the first few chapters go great. What happens then is that somewhere along the line, they tend to lose complete interest for one reason or another.
They might no longer be excited about the story or idea in general anymore, or they might realize that they aren’t ready for the story. They might realize that they lack the right skill set to craft the story and do justice. Yet, they make the mistake of forcing themselves to keep pushing forward until the very end of the story.
Novice writers might realize that the story is way out of their league or that they have lost their passion for writing it—still, they keep pushing forward, which results in wasting a lot of energy and time.
If you find yourself in such a situation, the best thing to do is to move on to a story that you have been more excited about. It is important to mention here that your readers will always be able to tell whether or not you have been genuinely interested in the subject of your book, and if you haven’t felt passionate about writing the story, then why would they be excited about reading the story?
To avoid such a situation, you will want to choose a story that you have genuinely been excited about and want to pour yourself into. If you find yourself forcing yourself day after day to write a story, you will want to move towards a different section of the story that perhaps gets you excited.
