4 ms·

My biggest issue with writing is the fear of shouting into the void. What if no one wants to read what I've written? What if no one finds it? I'm trying to get

My biggest issue with writing is the fear of shouting into the void. What if no one wants to read what I've written? What if no one finds it? I'm trying to get in to the mindset of just writing for myself, but it's hard.

testingwaters4 4y ago
I think there's a balance. When you've been writing for a while, sometimes you write just to get an idea out of your head. When it becomes a habit, sometimes you write just because. Creative process is all about fear indeed. Hope you find a community or a writer in your area that can inspire you, as it's very hard to start all by yourself! You also do sometimes need an "other" to write for, so I mean you end up being in a place where you aren't writing for yourself, even if that "other" doesn't exist. Puts less burden on yourself.
doodles33 4y ago
My personal pet peeve with writing is exactly the contrary, I find the fact that people could read what I wrote very distressing. One of the best things that could happen with what I write is that no one reads it, because then I don't have to appease anyone or handle criticism. I'll admit it's a very cowardly stance to have, but it's very liberating in a sense. Obviously this means I'll start writing schizophrenic stuff eventually and need a reality check, it's okay though: "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness." - Aristotle.
- djokkataja 4y ago
  I find myself experiencing a bit of both: I want people to read the things I write -- but not really; I want them to know the ideas I write and to credit me for them -- but only if they're good ideas! If everyone just forgets all the stupid things I ever write and that I ever said or did anything stupid, that'd be great. Similarly, I want to know the criticism so I can incorporate it into my thinking -- but I don't want to be criticized. :)
- kd5bjo 4y ago
  Some of my writing is to help me think, some is for future me, and some of it is for others. All three are different modes of writing, and I approach them differently. Personal stuff, in particular, gets written on loose paper and shredded immediately afterward— It’s the act of writing that I find actually useful, and knowing that nobody will ever read it is incredibly liberating.
srazzaque 4y ago
I've personally found that writing for myself is likely to increase my understanding of any given topic. That alone is enough motivation. It forces structure to my thoughts, and the consideration of minute details that otherwise would be handwaved over. This is perhaps the "generation effect" in play.
otikik 4y ago
I struggle with something similar: Fear of rejection. What if people read and they don't like it, or even worse, they think that it is a waste of time? A good way to get around the second problem is: think that your audience is really bad people. Literally Hitler. Or at least that it's possible that they are. If that's the case, all the time you can keep them reading what you wrote, they will not spend it doing evil deeds. So waste their time. Save the world. I hope it helps, Main Fürer.
gringoDan 4y ago
I struggle with this as well. But the feeling of shouting into the void has little to do with your writing ability. It’s much more a function of a) marketing and b) luck. If you’re writing, it’s because you have the inkling of an idea. Through the writing process, you clarify that idea and then release it to the world. That process — the act of creation — is enough for me.
nickstinemates 4y ago
On a journey to stop struggling with this. Less void and more "why is what I have to say worth reading?" and I've kind of decided it's not up to me to decide that so not to worry about it. You do you.
MonkeyClub 4y ago
It's hard because it probably won't change the world, but it becomes much harder when shouting. It's entirely OK to sit and write without fanfare, we're not wizards or witches any longer, just plain people with the same plain obligation towards the mind as towards the body: tend, feed, and regularly empty out. If today you really gotta go write, go ahead, knock yourself out. If tomorrow you just scribble in the margins of empty pages but nothing comes, have a bath or a nap or both, and sit again the day after. I also find it very helpful to remember that I'm not addressing others when writing, I'm not in a possibly empty auditorium talking into the void, instead I'm reaching across time and continue a discussion I started with myself earlier, and may pick up again later. The trend since stationary became affordable has been to get a daily journal going, and start some weekly correspondence, that'll give you opportunity both to write and to communicate, and you'll also creating a self-referential echo chamber, and you bootstrap yourself up from there. It helps a lot if you have questions that bug or interest you. Writing is thinking, you have to want to think about something, don't confuse it with presenting the writing. Writing helps you sail on the void and dive in its depths. An audience isn't necessary for that, so if you get your writing done on the computer rather than on paper, remember that you don't need to publish it. That may take a load off you, and free you to think about what you want to write, not how it'll be typeset or who will read it or whether it'll get points, stars, or otherwise pointless superficial kudos. In fact, write daily, but don't publish until after the first couple of times you burn your past notebooks (or "rm -rf ~/txt", though its really not the same). PS, I just got this stuck in my mind, if you need a silly essay prompt: If you don't write when you think, how do you know that you're thinking when you think you're thinking, rather than hallucinating thinking that you're thinking?
cs137 4y ago
I'm a writer and I'm good enough at it to have suffered some devastating real-life consequences. The terrifying thing isn't shouting into the void, and it isn't being visible to everyone. It's the adverse combination of the two. When you need to be heard is when your status has taken a dive or something bad has happened... at which point, people just want you to go away because you're depressing them. On the other hand, every little thing you write that could one day be attributed to you is available to any authoritarian government or employer (the euphemism we use for authoritarian private governments) on a three-second Google search... and, since these people have bad intentions, can only be used against you. HR people don't Google you because they think you're a fascinating person; they do it because protecting the company from someone with internet dirt is one more scalp to display at annual review time. Also, when I had a successful blog, I found that a lot of my best posts were ignored, whereas the good stuff that really deserved to get exposure barely got noticed. It feels like influence but it really isn't because people stop listening as soon as you say something that makes them uncomfortable. I enjoy writing but the percentage of people who will gain anything by doing it in public under their real name, in this time of belligerent capitalist authoritarianism, is very very low.
- em-bee 4y ago
  a lot of my best posts went ignored, whereas the good stuff that really deserved to get out there barely got noticed you probably intended to say this a bit different than it came out. :-)
  - cs137 4y ago
    It's grammatically correct but possibly unclear, so I edited it for clarity.
kieckerjan 4y ago
There is value in writing even if no-one reads the result. I would even argue that the main value of writing is in the process of writing. Writing helps you structure your thoughts. It provides you with a mental grip on the world. This goes for non-fiction but also for fiction. As a fiction author I do relish being read and appreciated by the right people. However, the gratification I get from that is mainly an ego thing, whereas the gratification of producing something that I find complete and beautiful (that sense of rightness washing over you when you put in that final period) gives a deeper fulfillment.
ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
That's pretty much what I do[0]. I really don't give a damn, whether or not anyone reads what I write, but, if someone is planning to attack me, it might not be a bad idea to read my prose, because I'll likely reference it, when responding. I enjoy writing, but, like everything I do, I don't do "half measures." It's an "all-in" thing. I haven't written anything in a while, because I have been working on a fairly intense coding project for the last year or two. My first draft is usually pretty good, but I always have typos. I'l generally police my writing several times, correcting typos, first, then missing words (I forget "the," or "a," or "an," all the time, and often miss the omission, even after rereading. Our brain inserts the conjunctive), then, repeats and inappropriate words. Finally, I often see that I can add to what I initially wrote. I do that on HN posts, all the time. I also tend to write a lot. To paraphrase Emperor Joseph, "Too many words." (i.e. "prolix"). People don't like reading more than about five paragraphs, these days. [0] https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany/ https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany/
Borrible 4y ago
Wait until the dogs have torn you apart and you crave the void to avoid the shame.

testingwaters4 4y ago

I think there's a balance. When you've been writing for a while, sometimes you write just to get an idea out of your head. When it becomes a habit, sometimes you write just because. Creative process is all about fear indeed. Hope you find a community or a writer in your area that can inspire you, as it's very hard to start all by yourself! You also do sometimes need an "other" to write for, so I mean you end up being in a place where you aren't writing for yourself, even if that "other" doesn't exist. Puts less burden on yourself.

doodles33 4y ago

My personal pet peeve with writing is exactly the contrary, I find the fact that people could read what I wrote very distressing. One of the best things that could happen with what I write is that no one reads it, because then I don't have to appease anyone or handle criticism. I'll admit it's a very cowardly stance to have, but it's very liberating in a sense. Obviously this means I'll start writing schizophrenic stuff eventually and need a reality check, it's okay though: "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness." - Aristotle.

djokkataja 4y ago
I find myself experiencing a bit of both: I want people to read the things I write -- but not really; I want them to know the ideas I write and to credit me for them -- but only if they're good ideas! If everyone just forgets all the stupid things I ever write and that I ever said or did anything stupid, that'd be great. Similarly, I want to know the criticism so I can incorporate it into my thinking -- but I don't want to be criticized. :)
kd5bjo 4y ago
Some of my writing is to help me think, some is for future me, and some of it is for others. All three are different modes of writing, and I approach them differently. Personal stuff, in particular, gets written on loose paper and shredded immediately afterward— It’s the act of writing that I find actually useful, and knowing that nobody will ever read it is incredibly liberating.

srazzaque 4y ago

I've personally found that writing for myself is likely to increase my understanding of any given topic. That alone is enough motivation. It forces structure to my thoughts, and the consideration of minute details that otherwise would be handwaved over. This is perhaps the "generation effect" in play.

otikik 4y ago

I struggle with something similar: Fear of rejection. What if people read and they don't like it, or even worse, they think that it is a waste of time? A good way to get around the second problem is: think that your audience is really bad people. Literally Hitler. Or at least that it's possible that they are. If that's the case, all the time you can keep them reading what you wrote, they will not spend it doing evil deeds. So waste their time. Save the world. I hope it helps, Main Fürer.

gringoDan 4y ago

I struggle with this as well. But the feeling of shouting into the void has little to do with your writing ability. It’s much more a function of a) marketing and b) luck. If you’re writing, it’s because you have the inkling of an idea. Through the writing process, you clarify that idea and then release it to the world. That process — the act of creation — is enough for me.

nickstinemates 4y ago

On a journey to stop struggling with this. Less void and more "why is what I have to say worth reading?" and I've kind of decided it's not up to me to decide that so not to worry about it. You do you.

MonkeyClub 4y ago

It's hard because it probably won't change the world, but it becomes much harder when shouting. It's entirely OK to sit and write without fanfare, we're not wizards or witches any longer, just plain people with the same plain obligation towards the mind as towards the body: tend, feed, and regularly empty out. If today you really gotta go write, go ahead, knock yourself out. If tomorrow you just scribble in the margins of empty pages but nothing comes, have a bath or a nap or both, and sit again the day after. I also find it very helpful to remember that I'm not addressing others when writing, I'm not in a possibly empty auditorium talking into the void, instead I'm reaching across time and continue a discussion I started with myself earlier, and may pick up again later. The trend since stationary became affordable has been to get a daily journal going, and start some weekly correspondence, that'll give you opportunity both to write and to communicate, and you'll also creating a self-referential echo chamber, and you bootstrap yourself up from there. It helps a lot if you have questions that bug or interest you. Writing is thinking, you have to want to think about something, don't confuse it with presenting the writing. Writing helps you sail on the void and dive in its depths. An audience isn't necessary for that, so if you get your writing done on the computer rather than on paper, remember that you don't need to publish it. That may take a load off you, and free you to think about what you want to write, not how it'll be typeset or who will read it or whether it'll get points, stars, or otherwise pointless superficial kudos. In fact, write daily, but don't publish until after the first couple of times you burn your past notebooks (or "rm -rf ~/txt", though its really not the same). PS, I just got this stuck in my mind, if you need a silly essay prompt: If you don't write when you think, how do you know that you're thinking when you think you're thinking, rather than hallucinating thinking that you're thinking?

cs137 4y ago

I'm a writer and I'm good enough at it to have suffered some devastating real-life consequences. The terrifying thing isn't shouting into the void, and it isn't being visible to everyone. It's the adverse combination of the two. When you need to be heard is when your status has taken a dive or something bad has happened... at which point, people just want you to go away because you're depressing them. On the other hand, every little thing you write that could one day be attributed to you is available to any authoritarian government or employer (the euphemism we use for authoritarian private governments) on a three-second Google search... and, since these people have bad intentions, can only be used against you. HR people don't Google you because they think you're a fascinating person; they do it because protecting the company from someone with internet dirt is one more scalp to display at annual review time. Also, when I had a successful blog, I found that a lot of my best posts were ignored, whereas the good stuff that really deserved to get exposure barely got noticed. It feels like influence but it really isn't because people stop listening as soon as you say something that makes them uncomfortable. I enjoy writing but the percentage of people who will gain anything by doing it in public under their real name, in this time of belligerent capitalist authoritarianism, is very very low.

em-bee 4y ago
a lot of my best posts went ignored, whereas the good stuff that really deserved to get out there barely got noticed you probably intended to say this a bit different than it came out. :-)
- cs137 4y ago
  It's grammatically correct but possibly unclear, so I edited it for clarity.

kieckerjan 4y ago

There is value in writing even if no-one reads the result. I would even argue that the main value of writing is in the process of writing. Writing helps you structure your thoughts. It provides you with a mental grip on the world. This goes for non-fiction but also for fiction. As a fiction author I do relish being read and appreciated by the right people. However, the gratification I get from that is mainly an ego thing, whereas the gratification of producing something that I find complete and beautiful (that sense of rightness washing over you when you put in that final period) gives a deeper fulfillment.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

That's pretty much what I do[0]. I really don't give a damn, whether or not anyone reads what I write, but, if someone is planning to attack me, it might not be a bad idea to read my prose, because I'll likely reference it, when responding. I enjoy writing, but, like everything I do, I don't do "half measures." It's an "all-in" thing. I haven't written anything in a while, because I have been working on a fairly intense coding project for the last year or two. My first draft is usually pretty good, but I always have typos. I'l generally police my writing several times, correcting typos, first, then missing words (I forget "the," or "a," or "an," all the time, and often miss the omission, even after rereading. Our brain inserts the conjunctive), then, repeats and inappropriate words. Finally, I often see that I can add to what I initially wrote. I do that on HN posts, all the time. I also tend to write a lot. To paraphrase Emperor Joseph, "Too many words." (i.e. "prolix"). People don't like reading more than about five paragraphs, these days. [0] https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany/ https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany/

Borrible 4y ago

Wait until the dogs have torn you apart and you crave the void to avoid the shame.