An Ode To The Things That Both Bring Us Joy & Frustrate The Crap Out Of Us
There are few things in life that I love more than writing. If you aren't familiar with the image above and the Japanese concept of ikigai, it is a way in which people can find their purpose and reason for being. While there are many things that can make up your ikigai, pretty much everyone struggles with figuring it all out.
And that's why I'd like to talk about it. For writers, I think many of us can agree that our craft lays in the cross between what we're good at, what we love, and what the world needs, but very rarely does it land in the box that also includes something you are getting paid for. It's not that it couldn't become that, certainly, but very few writers are in a place where they are actively engaging all of the bubbles in the diagram.
For most, I think writing is merely something fun to do. It is a release of pent up emotions and activity in your mind. It's an outlet for your imagination where most people, on average, barely use theirs all day.
Crazy enough, this kind of creative outlet is so important to success that many of the most business-y company heads will carry things around to jot down ideas, or have someone in the office do it for them.
The point is that writing, along with the other artistically-deemed hobbies, is important. And it is the thing that makes us most human.
As much as writing brings us joy, it can also be frustrating. In all of my writing career, I can't tell you the number of times I've wished for some sort of magical tool that I could tap my head and then tap a blank page and watch a perfectly formed stream of thought write itself.
All in all, putting the right words down, one after the other, is a pain. Some people worry about being judged by their readers, but I am the most critical of myself.
One thing I've been struggling the most with when it comes to keeping up with my craft is actually making words come out onto the page.
My current theory for why this is happening for me is because I feel like I'm being inundated with words and opinions and new information through social media all the times these days. Since going on lockdown, there has been so much noise that I find myself only accessing certain sites for seconds at a time before I'm triggered and have to leave the space.
It is crazy!
(And it's mostly due to the algorithms, but that a topic of another time.)
But all of these loud voices coming in from my friends and followers has me feeling so uninspired that even if I sit down to write something, I find myself typing a few paragraphs before I feel completely drained and have to do something else.
It's a real bummer when I have a few books with deadlines on deck right now, let me tell you.
One thing I do know is that this, too, shall pass. I am not going to be stunted from writing forever, and if you're struggling with the same, neither are you. As I said, it's part of my ikigai, after all.
And if you are in the same boat, people need to read the things you have to say. Even if it's only a few paragraphs at a time.
Be kind to yourself. It's all for the love of it, especially in the most frustrating and hard to handle times.
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Lexi Mohney is an award-winning, self published author and a book coach living in Ann Arbor, MI. Throughout her writing and coaching career, she's lived by the motto of courage, and worked with her own coaches, groups, and support system to see her Big Audacious Dreams come true so that she can help others achieve success, too. Her first published piece, Carnal Knowledge, won an award at the 7th Annual Bisexual Book Awards in NYC on June 1, 2019. She is in the process of querying agents for her latest novel, Soulkind, which is the first in the Soul Hunter Series. Contact her through her website or find her on social media with any questions.