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Good Ways to overcome acute Writing Anxiety?

MKnightium

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I've been working on some things for a while, major works namely, and every time I think I reach a certain point, my anxiety flares up with it, asking things like "does it flow right" "will people enjoy this" or the 'personal favorite' "are you sure this work"?

As a result of this, work on the novel has come to a crawl as frequently, whenever I reach a certain point, I always fret over it and end up either trying to get it peer reviewed (to which another someone on another threat gave some major clarity towards) or just not working on it until I'm certain I have something good down, only to return back to option A.

My point? What methods do you all use to get rid of Writer's Anxiety? I'd like to hear them and see if they help out so I can get my head on straight, and finish this novel at long last.

...because said anxiety caused me to delete about 50k from the novel because I felt it wasn't right...
 

starrystorm

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Yikes. I used to have this problem bad. I trashed so much writing because of it. Now, years later, my number one rule about anxiety and writing is: If you have anxiety, don't touch it (the manuscript), don't think about it.

I won't open Word or anything if I know I'm not in my right state of mind. Which is hard to admit at first.

Just last week I was too sick to take my anxiety pills and started planning on completely rewriting a character (a minor villain/traitor) and making them a good person because I just had to!. I kept saying "nobody will like this" and "why this character?"But I didn't change her. Instead I spent hours on the Internet looking at random things just get my mind elsewhere. Now, feeling better, I'm fine and my character is still the same. Just as it should be.

I hope this helps because anxiety is the worst. If you don't take medication for your anxiety, then at least wait the panic out. I know that sounds painful and unproductive, but it's better than doing something you'll regret later when your feeling better.
 

MKnightium

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So, you're suggesting that, if my mind's going through an anxiety spasm, I should not touch the book?

I'll admit, that's good advice; might have helped me a long time ago when I neared completion of it initially, only to cut things down. Also, I should perhaps look up anxiety relief medication, see if there are any over the counter meds or if I should go to a doctor and get a full prescription.
 

starrystorm

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So, you're suggesting that, if my mind's going through an anxiety spasm, I should not touch the book?

Yes. I find this helps me a lot since I'm not thinking right when I have really bad anxiety.
 

ReadWriteRachel

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Hey, I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I'm going through a really similar point right now: I was breezing along with this manuscript and wrote about 20k in as many days, and suddenly I hit a wall and started to feel sick about it. I keep fretting about whether it's any good, whether it makes sense, whether people will like it, etc. This makes me feel better, knowing a) I'm not alone, and b) that it's okay to let myself step away and take a break.

I think I may dive into a good book and get that creative itch flowing again, the one I always get when I read in my genre. Maybe the same will work for you?

Also, if your anxiety is pervasive enough, I can't recommend seeing your doctor enough. I tried some over-the-counter supplements and treatments, but nothing worked until I got my prescription. I waited far too long to go on an anti-depressant for my anxiety and I honestly cannot tell you how much mental stress and strain it has saved me in the years since. :Hug2:

Good luck to you, your writing, and your health!
 

MKnightium

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Reading a good book or story does sound like it'd give me a hand in things. And as for the medication, I'll first try using over-the-counter ones for the time being, and seeing what happens. If my anxiety persists and refuses to drop off, I'll look into seeing a doctor and getting some medication for it. Might do me a lot of good in the long run and help me become a lot more productive as a writer and submit something to Parvus Press.
 

AW Admin

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I'm going to move this to the Outwitting Writer's Block sub forum; it's a much better fit, and I think it will be helpful.
 

MKnightium

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Huh, I didn't know this counted as Writer's Block help but, I'm happy to help others out. So far, some of the tips given in here do seem worthwhile when combating severe writer's anxiety, and there could be more in the near future to further help people overcome it.
 

Ari Meermans

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Anxiety and low confidence in our work are often contributing factors to writer's block. Low confidence, especially, is kryptonite to us and it's something we should consider when we're trying to determine the cause for our block. Sometimes the block is caused by life events, or an issue with the story, or something within ourselves—like anxiety or low self-confidence. Whatever it turns out to be we need to look for and implement strategies for dealing with the cause. Often we need help so that's why the thread was moved here.
 

MKnightium

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I see, and that makes sense.

One thing I did find is my older brother told me to just write for the enjoyment of writing, and everything else falls into place. As simple as that sounds it does directly correlate to an issue I'm resolving as I'm trying to make this novel as good as it can be for the publishers, and as a result, my anxiety flares up. Employing that should help me resolve a bit of my writer's anxiety, though some of it does stem from issues in the story itself.
 

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I've been reading up on the causes and solutions for writers' block lately and the one thing that's common to all the research I've read is that it happens when people are too hard on themselves. Obvious, right? We think, "I'm not good enough to write that," or, "This is no good, I must really suck," and that's that. We're blocked and can't go on.

The most effective solution I've found is quick, and simple. Guided meditations which focus on self-compassion. There are lots online which you can use, it doesn't matter which you choose. Just find one that is narrated by someone whose voice doesn't irritate you; set aside ten minutes or longer to listen to one of them; then start writing. It's surprisingly helpful.
 

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I've found listening to music (no lyrics) helps a lot, especially if the beat is "powerful" or "positive". Also, from my perspective and experience, medication is very helpful: the meds re-balance my emotions. I've found that complementary therapy additionally helps me deal with issues that I can't handle fully on my own. And face to face interaction with other writers has been beneficial too -- the writing group is really for beginners, but welcomes all levels. The aim is just to have fun with writing and forget that it needs to be perfect.

Hope you soon find something that helps you.
 

Just Jeremy

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This may not be sound advice, but if I'm experiencing great anxiety (of any sort) I find a few scotches alleviates and relaxes me quite nicely. It also often lubricates the creative mechanism, kicking things into gear once again.
 

Old Hack

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This may not be sound advice, but if I'm experiencing great anxiety (of any sort) I find a few scotches alleviates and relaxes me quite nicely. It also often lubricates the creative mechanism, kicking things into gear once again.


Using alcohol to help with anxiety and creative productivity might work in the short term, but in the long term it's swapping one problem for another much bigger, more damaging one. Please be careful.
 

RaiscaraAvalon

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Alcohol also creates more anxiety, so it's a lose/lose situation.

When I'm feeling anxious about my writing, I do seek feedback. Sometimes it gives me another direction to go in, sometimes it clarifies things, but most importantly, it reminds me that my writing projects are a work in progress for real. I know we call it that but seem to forget the other meanings of the phrase. Music often helps, though I can't really write to music, listening to it for a few minutes before starting can psych me up for the writing ahead. Mostly I try not to beat on myself about what I didn't do, didn't get done or how the project seems to be going when my anxiety is high - doing so just makes it worse!
 

Atlantic12

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If poss, try cognitive behavioral therapy with a trained therapist. Did wonders for my anxiety. I learned how I think, how the thoughts spiral, how to let go or redirect. We talked a lot about my writing and the near impossible expectations I had for it and myself. I still struggle at times, especially in winter, but therapy gave me the tools to know when I'm projecting general anxiety on my writing.
 

NINA28

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I used to have this exact same problem, but the way to face an anxiety is to simply deal with it.

The first thing I ha to get into my head is, this is NOT written in stone. If the flow is of it can be managed, if beta readers don't like it I can change it, if it doesn't work when read as a whole, it can be changed so it does work. Give yourself permission to write "crap".
Push through. I've given people my work to read when I was on a writing roll and chapter when I had a terrible day - they couldn't tell the difference. Don't reward the anxiety by avoiding writing like I did, because suddenly "I have anxiety today" becomes a constant excuse to not tackle the thing you're nervous of.


Hope this helped and as you can see you are not alone.
 

Charles Windsoap

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It sounds like you're afraid to finish the work because then you know you'll have to be judged on it. So long as it's a "work in progress", you never really have to take that chance.

My grandmother used to say: "You wouldn't worry about what people think of you, if you realized how little they do."

Don't obsess over what someone else might think of your work. They have their own issues in life. They're not laughing at you or whispering or whatever you might imagine they might do. They're just sharing their opinion and getting back to their own issues. Just do the best you can and smile. What happens if someone doesn't like your work? Do you die? Will you catch fire? Nothing will happen. Many great authors had their work turned down. Many great authors still do. It says nothing about your talent or you as a person. Just smile and remember that you are loved, life's not so bad, and the only way to defeat your anxiety is to run towards it. You have to run towards it. Maybe not all at once. Maybe start slow. Maybe challenge yourself to write a hundred words when you're feeling anxious. But make it two hundred the next time. And five after that. Make a deal with yourself: we're never going backwards. Don't delete anything. Just keep writing. Run towards it. And one day, you might not even notice it at all.
 

Auteur

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Anxiety negatively affects your ability to think clearly. Make sure to backup your work before making any major changes.
 

bugbite

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This is totally normal in the writing process of a novel. To think that the challenges ahead are insurmountable.

Maybe take time away and write something that doesn't relate to your project at all. Ideas will find a creep into your head, and you might get a light bulb moment during that time, and return to your main project with enthusiasm instead of anxiety. Or maybe write something further along in the book. To me it doesn't matter if I know the scenes I write won't make the final cut, or if only small portions of them will be used. To me its not a waste of time, as long as I'm generating content there will be something I can recycle to my book.
 
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inkdreams

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I struggle with anxiety too. :(

You could try breathing exercises to relax.

There are apps called Calm and MindShift. The apps have breathing exercises. Also MindShift has mood tracking and journaling.
 

Abbeysroadlesstaken

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I'm grateful I found this post. I get pangs of wanting to delete everything and start from scratch. I also find that I hit a wall when I challenge myself to edit or rewrite. I feel as if I'm suddenly back in third grade and I'm going to get screamed at if I can't put every coma perfectly or pick out clauses that can be taken away without changing the story. Not the best attitude to be in when I'm trying to make a story more clear. I change the music, or print a copy and edit with pen like I used to when I worked at a tutoring center. It doesn't always work. I also get attacks where I feel I must be a lousy writer, but then I remember the awards I received in high school or come into one of these groups to discover I'm really not alone. This is a common problem and I have a lot of people who share the same ups and downs.
 

Paul Lamb

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I've certainly felt this way about my writing a great deal (and about most other aspects of my life), but I've never deleted substantial amounts of text because of it. (As Auteur said, make backups before you make major deletions!) I've certainly abandoned stories and story ideas that I lost confidence in. But even when I sit down to write, full of doubt (of my abilities, of the worth of my project), I find that if I just start putting down words, I seem to get past the problem and on with the project.

The anxiety you describe is natural and a common affliction among our tribe, and it can signify different things. Sometimes you do just need to step back and rest. For me, picking up work on a different project helps most of the time. It might not even be the actual writing. I could make notes. I could research some obscure detail I need to know for a story. I could fool around with a character. In fact, when I'm really blocked, I will take my familiar character and put him/her into a wholly different story/genre, just to see what they would do there. I put them in Westerns and just let them go. It's not writing I'm going to keep or use (probably) but it does get the machine running again, and sometimes it gives me insights to the characters I hadn't seen before.

I guess the point is to keep trying. Maybe you have doubts because the story really isn't that great, but that seems like the least likely outcome. Keep writing!
 

LucindaLynx

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[QUOTE=Old Hack
;10523642]Using alcohol to help with anxiety and creative productivity might work in the short term, but in the long term it's swapping one problem for another much bigger, more damaging one. Please be careful.
[/QUOTE]



I agree so much!

 

DanielSTJ

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I think that, as mentioned, putting the work aside and focusing on other things at the time of this dreaded anxiety might be a good option. I also second the notion that getting some feedback on the work, if this starts to creep up, might be a good idea as well. You're accomplish much with your writing, remember that, and it's commendable that you can get any long work close to done at all. Realize that such a thing, alone, is an achievement in itself. Don't fret over things if it seems like the writing isn't as good as it seems; you can always make it better through editing-- thus the "put aside" method.