Monday Motivational: Frustration

Frustration has to be the single biggest reason many people turn away from writing. The root cause for our frustration can be as varied as the writers who experience it. Maybe we're frustrated because of a lack of sales, or an inability to garner reviews that would help propel our work into a more favorable position. It could be something as simple as a case of writers block, or an overflowing idea file with little time to write. They are situations every writer has faced at one time or another, and will continue to come up against throughout their career.

How we handle the frustration says a lot about who we are. For me personally my frustration stems from a lack of time to write. I have a To Be Written (TBW) list that's 11 novels long, that's eleven fully fleshed out ideas waiting for me to find the time to work on them. I also work a full time job to pay my bills and with no savings (I got wiped out in 08) to fall back on, it can be scary at times. Many times I find myself angry while I'm at work because I don't have the time to pursue my writing to the fullest.

The first step in correcting a problem is identifying what is wrong.

With this new insight I'm trying very hard to put a smile on my face and accept the way things are in my life. Giving up writing has never once crossed my mind. I have reached that point where being a writer is so ingrained in who I am, I'm willing to work my way through these distractions. And that's really all they are.

Distractions from the focus I need to bring to my writing.

What frustrates you the most in your writing life?