Hello there!
It has been SUCH a long time. I let this blog sit for a few years, unsure if I would ever come back and write a new post. Do I even have any readers? Would anyone even care if this site just disappeared? For so long, I've been looking at writing with the mindset that I'm writing for others, and not for myself. And that's not okay.
It happens to us all--at some point, a switch happens and we realize we can't remember the last time we wrote something just for the enjoyment of it. As a teenager I can remember losing myself in the worlds and the words I had created; letting hours slip by unnoticed as I wrote chapter after chapter. Now, at 25 years old, I struggle to write once a week, let alone every day. And I really think it's because I stopped writing for myself.
Everything I do in the writing world now seems to be to grow my following or make new friends or get my name out there. And while any encouragement I give is always 100% sincere, I miss just being able to write something without caring what anyone else thinks about it. I miss writing for me.
4 Steps to Writing for Yourself Again:
1. Create a story for you and you alone.
For me, it's the fantasy story I've had in my head for over a decade. I am forcing myself to write it with no intent to publish it or attach it to my author name. Honestly I don't even plan on editing it unless I really want to. I'm just going to write it for fun,
2. Do not give yourself any time limits or obligations.
This book is yours for fun. Unless you really want to, I wouldn't put any kinds of pressure on yourself to write it. Let the enjoyment of it flow naturally, and you'll find yourself working on it.
3. Make mistakes and be messy.
No book is perfect, and your passion project shouldn't have to be, either. Let yourself let go. Write through those plot holes. Create your own laws and rules. Do whatever you want to because its your story for you alone! No one can tell you how it should or shouldn't be written.
4. Let readers read it for the sheer enjoyment of giving someone something to read.
That was a bit of a mouthful, I know, but you know what I mean. If you feel like you want your words to still be read, consider throwing this project on Wattpad chapter by chapter or posting on a blog or similar site. Not to gain anything, not to grow a following, but to simply give readers something to read. Giving readers something of yours to read. Not for profit or gain, but simply because you love to write, and you want to share.
It's been so long since I've written on this platform, and yet already I can feel the subtle anxieties and urges to get on a schedule and keep up with posts and turn this back into a way to get my author name out there. But I'm fighting those dumb thoughts, because truly, I just want this to be a fun place for me to write again. A way to connect with others and share my thoughts about this crazy world of writing I call home.
I hope that whatever I write here--may it be present, past, or future, inspires you in some way!
