Staying Positive for Your Writing

One of the biggest problems in writing is not staying positive. We get in our own way with our writing success because of our insecurities. The truth is that this can be quickly fixed by changing our role in our writing from passive to active. Try out these tips to staying positive for your writing and see if your perspective changes.

Write, Not Edit

Your writing time is for your writing. If you keep your inner editor on, you’ll keep finding flaws with your work and keep second-guessing about your ability to write. Staying positive for your writing means accepting that your writing is a working draft, that mistakes will be made, and that you’ll be able to tackle them when the time comes.

Goal: Get as many ideas down and designate other times to edit.

Focus Only on Your Writing

Your writing sessions should only be about writing. That means forgetting about your endless chore list, the neighborhood gossip, or your next date. You write because you are passionate about your writing, so keep all your attention on what already keeps you staying positive.

Goal: Remove all distractions from your writing workspace and take care of chores beforehand to eliminate stress.

Edit Like a Problem-Solver

Tread lightly when your writing session is designated for editing. The editing process is when we find our flaws and feel hopeless–and this is the most crucial time to be staying positive. Errors can be fixed and improvements can be made. Your writing will be even stronger when you take leadership in your craft, and that’s worth smiling about.

Goal: Direct your energy to finding solutions and avoid dwelling on the mistakes.

Control Your Thoughts

You are in control of your thoughts. Negative thoughts about your writing happen when you think you don’t have a solution. When a negative thought about your writing arises (“Chapter three is a complete mess”), immediately counter it with a command (“I can fix it by examining my character’s motivation”) or a positive statement (“I described the setting very strongly”). Staying in control with your thoughts and your writing will get you back on track to staying positive.

Goal: When a bad thought arises, keep repeating an optimistic phrase about your writing until it goes away.

Consider journaling about your negative feelings, reminding yourself to smile more, and keeping a positive outlook on other aspects in your life. Staying positive for your writing may take practice, but it is the difference between stalling and composing.