1. They give up when their efforts aren’t immediately rewarded.
2. They spend all their time reading others’ work, but never actually work on their own projects.
3. They keep trying to find a story that will appeal to their audience, instead of finding an audience who will enjoy their story.
4. They play it safe when deciding what to write about.
5. Or, they write about what’s trending without establishing a unique perspective.
6. They aren’t willing to experiment, or try new things.
7. They don’t make time for writing.
8. They’re always waiting for “the right time.”
9. They only write when inspiration “strikes” — or, at least, they think about it.
10. They refuse to move forward with a project until someone else gives them a personal “green light.”
11. They revise and rewrite so obsessively that they never actually finish writing anything.
12. They spend so much time brainstorming and outlining that they never actually start writing at all.
13. They let themselves worry too much about what other people might think, or what they’ve already said.
14. They convince themselves it’s not worth trying, and never let themselves believe their dreams are possible.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
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