By: Bibiana Krall

Most writers that I know have a complicated life beyond the desk. A family, a day job, trauma from the past and responsibilities that take them away from their creative passion: writing.

We are flooded with helpful advice on social media on how to achieve our goals as a writer, do this, don’t do that, you must have ten-thousand followers to get an agent, be witty, talk about yourself…but not too much, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Information overload and life can create high-level shut down for your writing. You know yourself better than anyone else does, but as an artist you have to trust the process and focus your sights on the long-term goal.

Last year was a huge milestone in my life.

I accomplished something I never expected to do. I graduated with honors and obtained my M.F.A. in Creative Writing. What I never envisioned was how tough it would be to get here.

Sure, classes were endless and reading sixty-seven novels and writing essays over the course of one semester was mind numbing, but remarkably that wasn’t the toughest part.

My family had a terrible and very personal situation, where someone I love dearly almost took their own life. I dropped everything, powered myself into panic mode and tried my best in-between the anxiety attacks to re-calibrate.

We also had hurricanes rolling through, money constraints from not being able to work because of family issues, and a slew of things that could crush anyone’s spirit, decimate time, and the emotional energy needed to create.

The guilt was eating me alive. What kind of monster was I to leave this person’s side for even one second? The harsh reality was that I had paid a ton of money for school, was expected to engage with my peers online and still had to finish an intense project in the middle of this nightmare.

It’s awful what creatives do to themselves trying to fit it all in. Miraculously everything worked out. We’re all here and people are communicating with each other again, the house wasn’t destroyed by a storm and I might still have my sanity. Well… that might still be in question.

The purpose of this article is to share with you on a deep level that I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and burnt on both ends, to feel as if I am free falling with no end in sight.

But I will also share this…

I went back to my writing desk after I took care of family and then double-timed it at my desk until my face smacked the pillow. What I wouldn’t have known unless I had pushed past exhaustion and emotions, is that it was possible to keep going. Writing helped stabilize my thoughts and moved me beyond the fear that was threatening to devour my creative purpose.

Excuses are a funny thing. They grow like mildew in a shower. The second you stop trying to keep it all shiny, it begins to revert and smell bad.

There will be days when you have incredible epiphanies and writing feels so amazing, like a first kiss or the first time you drove a convertible. But there will be other days when the notion of writing merely one word makes you physically ill.

If you plan to write on a long-term basis, you must learn, just as I did, to face the challenges in your life and also to face the challenges of the empty page.

“If this were easy, everyone would do it.”

From the perspective of social media, it seems that almost everyone is writing a bestselling book doesn’t it?

But we aren’t talking about them my friend; we are talking about you.

I want you to stop everything you’re doing right now and breathe or do some jumping jacks. Dance around or swing your arms, or blast some energetic music to break out of your stupor.

Now say this out loud and really mean it, “I can do this. This is my dream. No matter what happens beyond my writing desk, I will do this.”

Now take a break and make yourself a writing schedule for the next week. Writing first, social media later. This is non-negotiable.

Do whatever you must to keep that promise and make a solid date with your project. If you miss it today, give yourself double the “homework” tomorrow and so on. Be fierce. Be ruthless. No excuses.

There is no other way to get there. I know it’s hard, nobody really gets it and people you care about might accidentally say things that hurt your feelings when they call your writing a “hobby” or “adorable.” Other people you barely know will step in and attempt to dissuade you from ever getting to the finish line.

Screw the negative feedback and go for it.

Underdog please listen up, this one’s for you. A story lives inside your heart and it must come out. There is no other way but through. Don’t you see? No matter how hard life is, no matter how many terrible, mind-crushing th

ings come at you and try to stop you from doing this, they can’t.

Do you want to know why?

This deep desire to share something with others brought you here to read this article. You, yes player…I’m talking to you. You are meant to tell the world a story, to help other people understand how amazing our differences are.

Look around at the mess of things, we need this human connection so badly right now, we really do. You may never be compared to Harper Lee or sign a million dollar contract, but this is an absolute––nothing will ever happen if you don’t finish.

Stories and books have an intrinsic power to change the world, but a writer must nurture the seed in silence first. Beyond all that, you must put in the time and always believe in your gut that you can and will accomplish this. It never gets easier, but one word in front of the other will eventually reward you with progress and a sense of accomplishment.

Thanks so much for reading. Good luck with your project and the challenges that are sure to come your way. If you enjoyed this post, please follow me on Twitter. Hit me up, say hello and let me know your project is going. 

Much love and a heartfelt salute to the hard-working author Laura Smith for giving me space and room to chat about the writer’s life.

About Bibiana Krall

Bibiana is a small-town girl from the Midwest who left home at an early age and traveled the world. Eventually settling in a historic village near Savannah, Georgia. She made a nest, created a family and built a dynamic career with a passion for culture, travel and private aviation. In the middle of her life she shifted gears, and returned to higher education, earning an MA in Fiction Writing and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, both from Wilkes University CW. Bibiana writes suspense, mystery and thriller novels, short stories, teaches Creative Writing workshops, and produces book trailers.

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