When You Try Your Best But (Feel Like) You Don’t Succeed

This is an old post from my Substack, but it felt relevant so I wanted to add it here.

Once or twice every month or so, I start to feel down about my writing life. There are so many things I want to accomplish and yet, it feels like a lot of the time I’m spinning my wheels, getting nowhere.

Instead of wallowing in it, I decided it’s time to figure out WHY and HOW I can deal with these emotions when they rear their ugly little heads.

My Name Is…

I might not be a household name when it comes to horror/dark fiction, but I don’t know if that’s even my goal. Of course, I want people to read my work. But I’m not looking for awards or accolades. I only want to connect and share my writing with readers.

But to do that, it feels like we have to constantly be churning out content. And for a slower writer like me, one who has started going about publishing in a different way (aka not subbing to markets as much and instead, self-publishing my stories in my zine), getting eyes on that work is hard. When they don’t show up, it makes it all feel a little fruitless. It kind of takes the wind out of my sails.

Staying Motivated

That’s when staying motivated gets really hard. If no one is reading my work, who am I writing for? Myself, of course. But the act of writing alone isn’t enough, is it? Otherwise, I’d simply be journaling and not putting my words out there.

After feeling pretty low the last few weeks, I decided to look for solutions to these feelings, and I came across this article. I took to my journal to see how it fit my situation, and came up with a few reasons for these feelings, and maybe a few things that might help me. Because I know, even if I overcome them, they’ll come back.

Go read it, then come back so we can discuss!

My Takeaways

1. Visually seeing my progress is a necessity. I can check off as many deadlines as I want in my calendar. But maybe having visual milestones (like a project worksheet where I can physically check off a completed task) will help me see my progress
   1. I’m going to try this template on ClickUp – since I think it will be easier to add new tasks to instead of a paper worksheet. We’ll see! I do like the idea of giving myself a gold star when I finish something, though 😀
2. Creating more reasonable goals will help me to avoid feeling like I’m tying to do to much all at once, and not starting any of it because it feels overwhelming
   1. Scheduling only one big project (aka only 1 book) at a time!
3. Using the Pomodoro technique (to focus on one task at a time) and LeechBlock (to avoid mindless social media scrolling when I’m bored/unmotivated)
4. Revamping my writing space is key! I only have a small corner of the bedroom for my Writing Nook, but it needs some serious TLC. I need to figure out how I can make it a more inspiring place to work, especially for those days when I just can’t bear sitting at my desk (I’m sure you can relate!)
5. Taking breaks – and not feeling guilty for it! Health breaks (when I feel ill, have a headache or backache). Mental health breaks (to do FUN things – journaling, watching a movie, reading, napping, baking, playing video games, using my Oracle cards). These are all GOOD THINGS and I shouldn’t feel bad for needing to refill the well.
6. Morning Pages! My beloved friend Cina has been talking about how the practice of Morning Pages from The Artist’s Way has helped her. I’ve done TAW a few times when I’ve felt creatively stuck or unmotivated. I’m not sure I need to do the entire workbook, but at the very least, I think reintroducing Morning Pages will help me clear my head and stay on track with my goals
   1. Read Cina’s Substack!

Moving Forward

So, this article really helped me to see what’s working for me and and what isn’t. Because I don’t want to feel like I’m failing myself. I don’t want to feel invisible or like I’ll never achieve my dreams. I know there’s a place for me. I just have to find it.

What About You?

Did this article ring true for you? What do you do when you feel unmotivated or like you’re spinning your wheels, going nowhere? I’d love to hear your thoughts! And I hope this helped!

I think we all like to share our accomplishments. But I also feel like the struggles help those who are in the same boat. I’m here to admit that I do struggle…and that’s okay. Hopefully taking steps to figure out why will help me to overcome these feelings of inadequacy. I’m here to talk if you feel that way, too!