Being a writer is challenging at times. It’s not just the writing. Over the last two years, I’ve written a nonfiction book, built my platform, worked on my website (more than once), hosted book talks, and now I continue to write for several websites as a guest expert in the area of self-help and women’s issues.
Writing challenges vary and can be more or less on any given day, but they generally fall into five categories.
- Distractions, when the kids or my husband seem helpless. They really are not.
2. Feeling overwhelmed, when the demands are more than I can handle some days.
3. Crickets, when the audience is too quiet. It can take time to build an audience, and I know that my work is out there in a sea filled with other impassioned authors.
4. Feelings, when readers share their personal stories and my heart aches for what they’re going through.
5. Negative feedback, when a mistake is made (and they happen to everybody) or when someone doesn’t understand my message or completely disagrees.
In response to these challenges, and with a lot of trial and error, I use a couple of techniques to help me stay the course and keep writing.