So, I’m going to be honest here, in that I haven’t really been writing or working on either of my story drafts. Instead, I’ve been thinking focusing on this site, and posting more on Prose.
It does frustrate me that I can’t get myself to focus on these drafts, but at the same time, I have been writing everyday. I’ve been creating in some form or another, plus there’s only so much anybody’s brain can handle creativity-wise.
And that’s okay.
Maybe I should take this as an opportunity to take a step back and see if this is just a temporary issue, or if it’s a sign of a much a larger issue at hand.
Maybe I am over exerting my creativity, or maybe… I’m just not interested in those ideas anymore. Or at least, how I have those ideas written out right now.
Only time can tell.
(As of today March 25th, I feel a lot more motivated to tackle editing on Afterlife, so that’s a good sign).
Now, I know it may seem to not be a good idea to talk about how I’m struggling with my writing in a public forum where ANYONE can read it, but it’s important to discuss the struggle that comes along with writing. I was reading a Twitter thread from Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, King of Scars), and she was talking about how misleading social media can be when it comes to successful authors. She mentions all the behind the scene struggles that she faced even after Shadow and Bone hit the NYT Bestsellers list at #8 (this is in 2012, where YA and MG both shared the same list and there were only 10 slots on this list, for context). Yet, based on how she presents herself on social media, you would never have guessed that. She goes on book tours, attends a lot of book/writing events, and has written a lot of successful series.
Here’s the Twitter thread if you want to read the whole thing through:
After reading through another one of her other Twitter threads, this one is interesting and along the same lines:
We all are aware of how in the age of social media, it’s common for everyone to only post about our triumphs rather than our failures. I’ve noticed though that more people are talking about it recently than before, but I still think we need this reminder every so often.
By posting only when we succeed, we create this illusion that we never failed in our lives. Even though logically that makes absolutely no sense, because we are also constantly reminded about how superficial social media can be. However, it can be hard to remember this in the moment, when your scrolling through one of the various social media platforms, and all you see are people celebrating their achievements in their life. It’s easy to forget that they struggled in some way to get to that part in their life, which is why they want to celebrate and share with everyone at that moment.
Don’t sit there and wallow in self pity just because someone succeeded and you haven’t. You don’t know their whole backstory, and they probably don’t know yours. Remember, that failures can lead to their own kind of success, even if it’s not the kind of success you imagined initially. Be proud of your accomplishments, and don’t hesitate to celebrate and share it. While you’re at it, be supportive of your friends and peers in their success, with all the negativity in the world, it’s always good to spread some positivity around.
However, if you notice that social media is seriously affecting you mentally, take a step back and stay away for some time. Focus on yourself if you need to, because it’s hard to be supportive of others if you aren’t taking care of yourself in the long run.
And on that note… That’s all I got for today! Thanks for reading, and I will see ya in the next post!
Erin 🙂
Twitter: @ENordhof
Prose: https://theprose.com/ennord
Eclectic Erin 