Tag Archives: doubt

Embracing Failure as the Key to Success

Posted on April 27, 2016 by J. Sevick

Why do you create? Maybe the answer appears easily to you, always ready and waiting somewhere between the steady rhythm of your heart and the tip of your tongue. To express yourself. To have fun. To share your wisdom with … Continue reading →

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When to Fight the Doubt… and When to Follow It

Posted on June 17, 2015 by J. Sevick

Any creative endeavor is doomed to come with a heap of doubts. After all, you’re pulling something raw and untested out of your mind—your unique, imperfect, emotional little mind—and putting it out into the world, saying, “Look at this. Judge … Continue reading →

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Why Is It So Hard to Write Badly?

Posted on April 24, 2015 by J. Sevick

One of the most important tricks to actually start writing—perhaps the key to a finished first draft—is to learn how to write badly. This may seem counterintuitive; after all, isn’t the point of learning to write and wanting to write … Continue reading →

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In the Trenches: Tips for a First Draft

Posted on March 6, 2015 by J. Sevick

So I’m writing again, which is… awesome. Scary, always, but awesome. But, as always, it means I’m in my head too much, constantly analyzing and worrying and working to psych myself up. I won’t say that writing is more of … Continue reading →

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Choosing a Kind Target Audience

Posted on February 27, 2015 by J. Sevick

As I write, even a first draft, I am constantly thinking about two things: quality and reception. These are absolutely the WRONG things to be thinking about while drafting, for all sorts of reasons, but they happen beyond my control. … Continue reading →

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Permission to Fail

Posted on February 20, 2015 by J. Sevick

I always thought finishing a draft was everything. Not just because that’s the only way to even get close to publication–because I figured that all my doubts and insecurities about writing were just because I didn’t know what I was … Continue reading →

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The Art of the Try

Posted on December 1, 2014 by J. Sevick

November is officially over—to those of you who won NaNoWriMo, CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is an amazing accomplishment, and so exciting. To those of you who tried but didn’t succeed… CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is still an awesome accomplishment, and anyone or anything that … Continue reading →

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Staring into the Abyss: Finding the Plot

Posted on November 17, 2014 by J. Sevick

So you have an idea. Maybe it’s a character, maybe it’s a world, maybe it’s just a genre—or maybe you’re lucky and it’s a conflict. If you’re anything like me, ideas are everywhere. But stories are harder to come by. … Continue reading →

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The Read-Aloud

Posted on November 7, 2014 by J. Sevick

It’s a bit of common writing advice to read your work aloud as a part of the editing process. Sounds reasonable enough—it lets you hear your dialogue and whether or not it sounds natural; gives you a sense of clumsy … Continue reading →

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Pushing through the Suck

Posted on November 5, 2014 by J. Sevick

For all those out there attempting NaNoWriMo, I wish you good luck! You got this! But there may come a time, early in the process or late, where you have to push through the feeling of “suck.” The reason I’ve … Continue reading →

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