The 3 things I hate about being a writer

I took a long time to get back into my writing groove. My 2nd book is way behind schedule, in fact there is no exact schedule for me to follow anymore. It went out the window sometime in March. Vacations, work and personal issues have grounded my writing momentum. So picking up the pace (so to speak) is akin to scaling Mount Everest on stilts.

So what do I hate about being a writer? As fulfilling as it is, there are somethings that make me wonder, why I ever bother writing a book? There's no turning back on my 2nd book, I've written 21 chapters and there is no way I will throw that in the waste-basket or in today's world relegate it to the hidden folder on my iBook.

Number 1: Writing is emotional.


You want your readers to feel what your characters are feeling. Right? So imagine writing a scene where your two characters are falling in love and you've just spent the evening chasing after your kids and wifey has a bone to pick with you over junior's school work. So in the end, your characters actually end up arguing and the plot just goes down hill from there. You blink hard and try to imagine the beauty of the scene when all you see is wifey's face holding up junior's homework.

Being in the right mood and right frame of mind is so hard...even in writing.

Number 2: How do you describe that?


Someone told me that my writing lack descriptive elements. My style is minimal, straight to the point and often times devoid of description. So shoot me! But there are times I want to describe the scene. "Show but don't tell". We hear that a lot but there are times when you hit a wall and you just wonder, "How do you describe that?". So I spend a good part of my writing hour just sitting there lost for words. Yes, even writers get lost for words. Worse still, you know the word but you just can't seem to recall it. It's at the tip of your tongue but it refuses to transfer itself to your word-processor. So you get stuck! Hate that.

Number 3: God! I lost the plot


You sit over coffee with some friends and they start talking about your book project. Ideas float around and wham! You get an idea to push your plot along. It's exciting, interesting, unique and darn unexpected. Your friends cheer you on, calling you a genius and show interest in reading your book. You go home all excited at your moment of inspiration, sit in front of your PC or notebook and...blank.

All the excitement has nothing to show for. I hate those moments. Really do. As a writer, I get so absent-minded because my mind is so muddled. You've got work issues, family issues and personal issues all crammed into a 6 pound mass of gray material we call a brain and something has to give.

So there you have it. The three (3) things I hate about being a writer. My list may be just these three (3) but what about yours?