How to Keep Writing

I haven't had terrible circumstances like some of the commenters on the blog but I was depressed. I had to focus on work and family because that was all the energy I had. Somedays not even that. I had done the things he advised even though I didn't see it that way. Now, I have written twice in three days and loved it. There is nothing like it. I'm just glad there are people out there who can give advice like this from experience.

This is so very pertinent! Thank you.

Great info-- thanks for sharing!

He does seem like a really nice guy, and brave as well for being so very honest with his life.

How timely. Thanks Susan.

Great post!

I've been through a rough year writing-wise; this past summer I was pregnant and lost the baby, and then less than a month later, my best friend committed suicide. I tend to feel terrible about how little I've written and how bad some of that writing seems to be since (though I'm on the upswing now, I think).

That post was a good reminder to be gentle on myself and to appreciate that I have managed to push forward and make progress with my writing, even though it wasn't the year I wanted. In any respect. Sometimes life just happens and while we have to keep working no matter how hard it is, we're not wordsmithing robots, either.

Love all his posts, but especially this one. Nice one to share, Susan Thanks.

Thank you for linking to this! I'm in my second year of grad school, and have been finding it hard to write recently--it's been six months since I did anything other than sub a story that came back on rejection. I've been having a lot of trouble with this: mountains of guilt, etc . . . so much so that I'm actually writing about it all for the creative nonfiction class I'm taking.

It's immensely helpful to find someone who says it's okay to address the things like life and work that are getting in the way, it's okay to give myself time off while I power through all this other garbage. I know the general writing advice is something along the lines of "well you can get up earlier, like I did when I wrote two novels and had three kids in the house and had a full time job" or "if you don't write every day, you really don't have it in you to be a writer." That stuff just makes me feel terrible

Whatever I can do right now to keep my writing going, I will do. And I suppose that will be enough.

Great post Susan!

I've been taking a bit of a break due to my bipolar and now I'd like to get back in the game and keep going.