Because We Care
In the span of two days, I had two clients ask the same question: “Does every writer feel like this?”
This being the sense that they’re overwhelmed, that they can’t do this, that they were stupid to start, that what the hell was I thinking??
I can’t answer for every writer under the sun, but I can answer for more than the 100 writers I’ve worked with. I can answer for myself and every one of the half-dozen manuscripts I’ve written or am working on: YES. An unequivocal, resounding, incontrovertible YES.
Yes, we all feel this way. Yes, we all feel like maybe we bit off more than we can chew, like maybe we’re not equipped to handle this challenge. Even seasoned writers feel this way when they start a new writing project.
Starting a story, whether it’s fiction or a memoir, whether it’s a short story or a novel, requires a leap of faith and with that faith comes doubt. Roiling, gut-wrenching doubt. Because writing isn’t easy. And writing isn’t easy especially when we get emotional. By that I don’t mean crying into our coffee (okay, okay, I do mean that, too!) but that we have a lot invested in our stories emotionally. If it’s a memoir, it’s because we’re writing about our lives. If it’s fiction, it’s because we’re writing about what is most important to us.
We wonder if writing is the smart thing because we care.
But that’s exactly why it’s the right thing.
Because we care.