Calling Yourself a Writer Makes It Harder to Write
13 posts across 2 communities in the last 90 days; 92% from r/writers.
“I have a creative family member who says they wish they could write but that sense they "can't write dialogue good enough" that they won't do it. They have great story ideas, and they apparently think about their stories all the time. (They said they specifically like world…”
“I've been struggling with something for a while, and I'm curious whether anyone has experienced anything similar. I write fiction constantly. I've written a novel, novellas, poetry, and have over twenty outlines for other projects. I don't struggle to come up with ideas, either…”
“God forbid I ever call myself a writer. Any philologist could give you ten reasons why I’m not one. But someone recently asked me for advice on how to write. Apparently, in the age of C_H_A_T_G_P_T, this skill is becoming highly valued. So here’s the advice I try to follow…”
Many writers express frustration and disappointment as they attempt to return to writing after a period of absence or self-imposed pressure. The act of pursuing writing professionally seems to stifle their creativity, leading to writer's block and a sense of lost passion. This shift from joyful creation to stressful obligation is a significant source of distress.
SOURCES (13)
“I've been struggling with something for a while, and I'm curious whether anyone has experienced anything similar. I write fiction constantly. I've written a novel, novellas, poetry, and have over twenty outlines for other projects. I don't struggle to come up with ideas, either. I…”
“God forbid I ever call myself a writer. Any philologist could give you ten reasons why I’m not one. But someone recently asked me for advice on how to write. Apparently, in the age of C_H_A_T_G_P_T, this skill is becoming highly valued. So here’s the advice I try to follow myself, although I don’t always succeed: When you’re writing, don’t tell the reader what the character feels. Let them see what the character does. Truly emotional writing comes from describing the circumstances around the cha”
“I’ve been a writer my whole life. I have been creative in a lot of capacities, from dance to digital art, but writing has been my number one. I even published a novel in 2022, during my first year of my PhD. But god. Getting anything else written since then has been the world’s greatest struggle. I can write for school and academia, but the moment I try to write for myself I can’t. It’s like all my joy and creativity for it are gone. I miss writing. I want to publish another book of fiction, not”
“Saw a post with the title "Dear writers, how the hell do you do it?", so here I am, asking, how do you get back to writing? For context, I (25F), used to be writer- Managing Editor of our school paper. I used to write wattpad stories on the side too! As time goes by and I got busy with other things during college, I lost time to continue writing. And now as you can see on the way I construct my sentences, I think I lost it all already. Is there still saving or maybe I should just accep”
“I just wanted to share something personal with fellow writers. I’ve been a writer and filmmaker for many years, and storytelling has been part of me for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I loved making up stories and telling them to anyone who was interested enough to listen. I became a professional writer and directed films that received international recognition. One of my films was Academy-nominated — the first Academy-nominated film in my family. My work also received awards in Chi”
“Like most writers, my goal is to be published. It's not solely why I write as I've noticed I have a hunger for writing that really is only fulfilled by prose (I tried screenwriting for a bit and comic book writing but it felt so incomplete, I felt incomplete). Writing to me just allows my brain to really express itself and I get into a zone when writing, at the same time though and maybe it's because i admittedly have anxiety struggle to do anything else (aside from school), I feel g”
“I have a creative family member who says they wish they could write but that sense they "can't write dialogue good enough" that they won't do it. They have great story ideas, and they apparently think about their stories all the time. (They said they specifically like world building the most). I told them you don't have to be a great writer to write things down and to just have fun with it. I myself am a very amateur writer who writes for the love of the game. For me it doe”
“i used to be a really good writer all throughout grade school and when i first started university. from essays, to short stories, to poems. i was praised by my teachers and voted most likely to be an author in grade 6. later in high school and university, professors consistently asked to use my work as examples for other students. i stopped writing for a long time due to, well, life throwing a lot of shit at me these past few years and being in survival mode. im 23 now and i feel completely lost”
“Hi, friends! I'm a university student in the US who always had a passion for creative outlets. I love painting, writing, and even sometimes pretending I'm decent enough at the piano to try to come up with something. I'm ESL and have always used structures in my texts that are now somehow associated with cheating. Comparative clauses, short and punchy sentences, rule of three, etc. I was recently accused of cheating by a professor who wasn't familiar with my work. I (obviously) ha”
“I'm 21 and I always wanted to be a writer. Initially a screenwriter but i realised that wasn't going to happen because of the country I was in. At 15 I discovered a song of Ice and Fire, ever since I fell in love with fantasy. I've been trying to write on and off for years now, but this year I planned to take it seriously and I'm deep into my first draft of my first novel but for some reason my mind does this weird thing of drawing me towards other things instead of writing. It c”
“hi! I, 21 (f), am just looking for some advice. About a year ago I decided that I wanted to pursue writing. For ages I had been unsure of what direction my life was going (I changed majors 5x more than the average person) and finally I realized that the only thing I could see myself doing was what I had always done—write. I always loved writing and found a sort of solace in it, however, as soon as I decided to tie my identity to writing and pursue it seriously, my writing has suffered. All I can”
“When I (31) was in grade school (p-12) I loved reading and writing. I won’t say I was amazing at it, but I loved it, and got lots of compliments on my work. I’ve been trying to get back into reading this last year or so. Ive read a few books, 5 or so maybe? I find myself studying the writing just as much as I spend trying to enjoy the books, and I thought about trying to write again, but had nothing I felt like writing about. Until recently.. I had a dream maybe 2 weeks ago, that I barely even r”