
I wish that I could write consistently, but this isn’t possible for me, for various reasons.
Apart from anything else, there is one week in every month when I cannot write, due to the severity of my PCOS and endometriosis. I also have other restrictions, caused by my physical and mental health, and personal circumstances.
There is another reason for the slow progress on my novel, and believe me, this is frustrating – but I do have other ongoing projects, and everything ties in, anyway – so I’m not achieving as little as I myself often feel.
The other reason for my lack of progress is that I do write dark fiction.
I wrote a post some time ago, on my previous blog, regarding why I write about so-called “depressing subjects”. Note: Updated version, on this blog, now exists, also.
I know that I can never make it “easy” for myself, because my heart is in control, and insists that I write about what really matters – that I do not ignore the darkness, but face it, head on, in my fiction. I will never churn out cutesy romance novels – and, no, I have nothing against such novels, and part of me might even envy authors who can write commercial genre fiction, that fits in and sells. It isn’t me. My plots and characters do overwhelm me, and I don’t feel able to write every day.
I’m terrified that I won’t be able to do justice to the stories that I have to tell, but I must try.
It’s my vocation, my passion – so much more than a career, which it is not, as yet – and definitely more than a hobby. Please don’t refer to anyone’s writing as a “hobby”, unless you know for a fact that the writer in question regards it as such – because it is honestly the ultimate insult, for most of us.
I feel that this was “all over the place”, but hopefully it made some sense. I wrote a short post recently, which included details of my various social media sites, and this is currently the best place to find out where I am online: my different pages and projects.
Keep believing.
Hi Paula, well put and don’t lose faith, i only write dark fiction and psychological thrillers so far and fit it in where i can and when i can (i don’t always feel like writing when i have the time). I literally lack the ability to write romance or light hearted subjects either! But I have had to justify my craft and explain why i write dark fiction so much, was always called morose and morbid as a child – started writing stories when i was 6 and it was horror from then. But I have been judged on it always and it put me off for years in adulthood. Really it’s what i always wanted to do and got so much enjoyment out of reading horror throughout my life that i wanted to give that enjoyment to others if possible. Keep writing…
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Thank you. That means a lot to me. I know what you mean about writing light-hearted romance. It’s fine, but not for me.
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Hi Paula, I also suffer with mental illness, I have chronic depression and anxiety and I write dark fiction. My books are set in Scotland. My first book is called THE KILLING OF JOHN, JOHN AND JOHN my second is A BROKEN SHELL OF A MAN. I’ve just followed you on twitter, it would be great to have a chat sometime, we seem to have some things in common, I can’t write romance novels or read them either!
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Thank you for that, Elizabeth. I followed you back on Twitter. I’m glad we were able to connect, as we seem to have common interests, and a similar approach to our writing.
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