Every writer, more than once, finds themselves not just unable to write … but also practically unable to remember why they’re trying to write in the first place. Because writing isn’t just a hobby or a dream job. It’s an activity so closely tied to who we are that questioning our words is like questioning our larger purpose in the world.
When you start to doubt your abilities as a writer, you also doubt your capabilities as a human being. But maybe feeling like you’re aimlessly wandering the seemingly barren landscape of your desired career path is actually a sign you’re moving in the right direction after all.
To Struggle Is to Want to Do Better
If you didn’t care about your work as a writer, you wouldn’t be bothered by the moments you spend wondering if you’re really supposed to be doing this at all. It bothers you because it matters to you. And because writing matters to you, your chances of “making it” really are much higher than most.
It’s these moments we spend questioning our purpose and our worth that reveal the formerly hidden paths forward that come next. Our brains are wired to want to find solutions to problems that are important to us. You’re already on the path to figuring yourself out, and you didn’t even know it.
If We Had Everything We Wanted, We’d Stop Thriving
If writing were always easy all the time, and you knew that everything you ever wrote was “exactly” the right thing for that moment, this whole writing thing would immediately lose its novelty.
You’re writing something now — or trying to — with some kind of end goal in mind. You want to get it published. You just want to finish it already. You want someone close to you to read it, even if no one else ever does. Not having what you want — yet — is a good thing. It’s giving you something to strive for. That’s more important than you might realize.
Write Your Way Closer to Your Desired Destination
I’ll say it again: You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Not having it all figured out is pushing you in the right direction even when you don’t always notice. You’re not a published author yet? Keep writing until you get there. You’re not making a living off your brain-thoughts by now? Write until it happens. Not being there “yet” just means, like every single one of us, you’re simply a work in progress.
Sometimes progress is slow, and we can’t always see or measure it. But every day you sit down and try to write something, you’re doing the right thing. “One day at a time” really is the only way to catch up to your dreams.
Meg Dowell Writes 