Stop Making Excuses Not to Write

Stop Making Excuses Not to Write

I love to write. I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t. I also love to talk with my friends about writing. It isn’t surprising that a lot of my friends have some really great writing ideas. But what is surprising is that whenever I encourage them to write, they always come up with the same slew of reasons why they shouldn’t. It makes me sad because they have some amazing ideas that they aren’t bringing into reality, which led me to realize that there are probably many people out there who have amazing ideas but never write them. So today, I’d like to look at some of the excuses I’ve heard for not writing and talk about why all of them are worthless.

1. “It would be too cringey.”

So? If it makes you happy to write, then there is definitely someone out there who will be happy to read it. You’d really deprive them of that experience because you’re afraid of some jerk coming in and screaming “cringe”? Sure, not everyone is going to love your writing, but that’s inevitable. You shouldn’t let it stop you. People who are going to scream “cringe” at you simply for having fun are not worth your time. If anything, you should embrace being cringe. Writing is so much more enjoyable when you’re not worried about whether you're catering to what’s cringe and what’s not.

2. “I would probably get bored and stop writing halfway through.”

This one is not something I can help you with. Writing all the way through is a feat of your own willpower. But I have learned that most people who say this usually have a full plan from beginning to end for what they would write anyway. When you’ve committed yourself to an idea to the point that you have a clear plan in your head, you usually don’t get bored of it halfway through. If you’re still worried you’ll get bored, you can steal from my approach. I make checklists of the different points I want to touch on when I’m writing. If it’s a bigger project, I’ll also make folders on my desktop with images that give me inspiration, and playlists of music that remind me of my idea. I find that those things help keep my mind focused on what I want to create, and sometimes even get me obsessed with my writing to the point that I can’t stop thinking of new ideas. 

3. “I’m not a very good writer.”

People often underestimate their own abilities. I have talked with so many people who say that they’re not good writers. Then they tell me about their ideas and I am left in near tears at how good of a story they’ve created. Not being a good writer is a terrible excuse. How can you expect to be a good writer unless you write more? You can’t improve if you don’t at least try. Most people have figured this out, so usually this excuse is used by people who are good writers, but they are afraid of sharing what they’ve written. This is perfectly reasonable; writing can be very personal, especially when you’ve had an idea with you for a while. It can be scary fully bringing that into existence, and that fear overshadows how much fun it can be. But you won’t get to experience the joy of writing until you try.

4. “My idea is too complicated and would be confusing for people to read.”

Maybe it is, yeah. The remedy to that isn’t very difficult though, all it takes is some editing. You could reformat your idea to break it up into different parts or change the structure to arrange it in an order that makes more sense. Or, maybe it’s not as convoluted as you’re thinking, and it actually makes complete sense. In that case, it’s a great idea to get another set of eyes on your writing. Maybe a parent, friend, sibling, or even someone who you reached out to on the internet can help you out. Of course, it’s not always easy to find someone to read what you wrote, so this isn’t a perfect solution, but if it is a viable one for you, then I would certainly suggest it. If not, then make sure to reread your own writing multiple times. Reading it out loud can be very helpful, but sometimes even just reading it over and over again in your head can be beneficial. I guarantee there will be typos that you missed even on your third reread. 

5. “You’re just saying that to make me feel good about my writing.”

Yes, I am saying this to make you feel good about your writing. But that’s not just because I’m trying to be nice. That’s because I want you to write. I truly believe that every person has a good story to tell. It genuinely makes me sad that the vast majority of those stories will never get to live outside that person’s brain. So maybe, by encouraging you to write more, and to put your ideas out there, just one more amazing piece of writing can be brought into the world.