Meg Dowell Writes

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14 Writing Struggles You Only Encounter When You’re Tired

1 You’re either hyper-focusing on your work or you’re playing Candy Crush. There is no in-between.

2. Everything is a distraction except the thing you’re actually supposed to be writing.

3. You start getting random ideas for things you know aren’t good but you can’t NOT write them down.

4. You’ve spelled the same word wrong five times in two paragraphs.

5. It’s like your first language is no longer your first language. Can you even grammar?

6. You’re either typing 100 words a minute or, like, 10 an hour.

7. You start using WAY TOO MANY adjectives.

8. Your brain says “Write!” but you honestly don’t know what you’re even typing right now.

9. Your usage of “like” and “that” has suddenly tripled.

10. All of a sudden your characters are plotting to commit a crime without warning you?? (?????)

11. You can’t keep your eyes open but somehow you’ve written 200 words. How?

12. Everything you write is hilarious.

13. Or it’s terrible and you start questioning whether or not you should be a writer at all.

14. Eventually, you either give up or call it done. Either way, you’re going to have a lot of proofreading to do tomorrow morning …

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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Responses

  1. transcribingmemory Avatar
    transcribingmemory

    Lovely! And so true.

    Reply
    1. Meg Dowell Avatar
      Meg Dowell

      Thanks for reading. :)

      Reply
      1. transcribingmemory Avatar
        transcribingmemory

        My pleasure.

  2. Leslie Nichole Avatar
    Leslie Nichole

    Yes, yes indeed. I’ve managed to sleep most of the day away so I’ll be banging on the keyboard and yelling at the cat (usually to get off the keyboard) all night.

    Reply
    1. Meg Dowell Avatar
      Meg Dowell

      Hahaha why do cats feel the need to sit/lay down on keyboards? ONLY when you’re trying to use them, too! Ugh.

      Reply
  3. Don Massenzio Avatar
    Don Massenzio

    Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
    Check out this great post from the Novelty Revisions blog with 14 writing struggles you only encounter when you’re tired.

    Reply
  4. A.M. Pietroschek Avatar
    A.M. Pietroschek

    LOL! Point 10 I liked the most. Though I would daresay: “Your characters start dying or vanishing within the same scene they appeared in.”

    In case you like to know: I found you due the #crimefiction page of Margot Kinberg, where Don Massenzio linked me over to this entry.

    Goodbye!

    Reply
    1. Meg Dowell Avatar
      Meg Dowell

      I always appreciate when people give me some insight into how they got here. Thank you for that. :) Also, I have DEFINITELY had that happen to me. “Wow, this is a cool character I’ve created. Welp, he’s dead now. RIP.” #struggle

      Reply
  5. Lisa Fenlon Avatar
    Lisa Fenlon

    Loved this and could related to most of this! I must check if you have kept cameras in my house :p

    Reply
    1. Meg Dowell Avatar
      Meg Dowell

      HAHAHA I don’t know how this always happens. I’ve just been a writer for longer than I’m often willing to admit I guess. :P

      Reply
  6. Arja Endaya Avatar
    Arja Endaya

    Hahaha, OMG – I could relate to almost all of these..

    Reply
    1. Meg Dowell Avatar
      Meg Dowell

      We have the same brain. :P

      Reply
      1. Arja Endaya Avatar
        Arja Endaya

        😂🤣✌ ..I’m so glad, I’m not the only one.. now, off we go to writing..

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