Thread: Painful Writing

So, I've always wanted to be a writer, but now that I've actually taken the plunge and invested myself in a story that has dominated my life for over six months now, I've discovered something about the process that I didn't expect.

I've discovered that writing my story is not fun at all. In fact, it's the most painful part of my day when I can even bring myself to write anything at all. I don't mean that it's difficult to come up with ideas, I mean that it's emotionally painful. Sometimes when I'm done with a section I will be literally breathless from the effort. Half the time I would love nothing more than to delete what I've just written but I can't because it is what the story requires. As a result, I dread working on my manuscript, and I've already made the decision to publish under a pen name if it gets accepted.

I'd like to be more specific as to why this is so painful, but that's all wrapped up in the story. Suffice it to say that one of the themes of my story is overcoming personal demons, and in a couple of cases I've made the demons as big and mean as possible.

I wanted to know if anyone else feels this way and what they did about it. Thanks.

Nope. Once my story gets going I can't stop writing. I only write what I want. I love writing. Even though I write horror, which some could call trashy I need to say what I have to say. Writing saved my life.

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." -- Robert Frost. It might be a well-used quote, but I believe its true.

I think that in the end, all of your trouble will be well worth it. You're likely to have a finished product that will touch as many others has it has you.

I sure hope so. Either they'll be moved by it or they'll burn me at the stake.

Perhaps that's the reason why so many successful writers are also successful alcoholics.

Originally Posted by Tiamat10

Perhaps that's the reason why so many successful writers are also successful alcoholics.

Then I should be a rich. Writing should be true to spirit! Pain is an afterthought I create in characters that can and will be solved unless I want to make a statement.

I don't write happy endings but I write endings that make sense. I would love to write a happy ending and maybe someday I will, but everything seems wrong to me.

i wrote a hateful short story about a cult of Organ Donor creeps. When you go to a DMV what is one of the first signs you see? Do you wish to be an Organ Donor or something like that. Until society changes I can't write happy endings because they lie.

There is no happy in my stories but there is not pain. Just free will. The problem is those people who want free will often encounter pain from others but they don't give up.

So, my characters don't stop fighting!

The Robert Frost quote is good. I'm interested in that Organ Donor story. You should post it for us to read.

If a story is hard to write, think of it as a testament to its quality. It's difficult to put it down, whether because of the content or your own personal feelings and experiences relating to the story. But this will mean that you are likely giving a true experience. Which will make it a good story.

I think I know what you are saying. My emotions will go up and down depending on what is happening with my character at the time I am writing. Some of my story is disturbing/dark, and when going through those bits I can feel very disturbed. But I see it as a good thing because I am feeling my way through the story.

If your story is personal to you (about your life etc) then it will be painful if you are writing about painful memories. But stick with it, because readers appreciate emotional stories, and if it affects you when writing it will affect them when reading.

I find that emotional involvement in my writing like that produces the best and the worst for me. It is usually the best in terms of the content, by which I mean the subject matter. In terms of the actual words used to express it I usually find, looking back, that it contains all sorts of faults, from tautology to poor sentence construction, partly I think the subject matter distracts me, partly there is a certain urgency involved in getting that sort of stuff down. Of course everyone is different, but I would advise several careful edits, it takes me a couple of tries to distance myself sufficiently; on the other hand be careful not to lose that initial urgency, I work on a copy so I can go back to the original if I feel it has drifted too far. Good luck, the initial impression is that you might well be on a winner.

^ What Olly said.
I tend to get pretty involved with my characters. Killing one or having them go through some sort of emotional trauma is necessary to move the story along. That doesn't mean you have to like it. If the funk gets too deep, try writing something a bit lighter. Like a letter to a friend or a funny story about something that happened to you or something. Writing doesn't have to be all pain and alcoholism. Just some of it!

For me, it’s possible to write in a way that will elicit emotion without going through them all as I’m writing. Of course I draw on past emotions – but to me it’s more about empathy – or imagining what a character is feeling based on my own experience. If I can empathize, then chances are a reader will too. But I don’t have to relive or feel it all to make it believable.

Originally Posted by Aello

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." -- Robert Frost. It might be a well-used quote, but I believe its true.

I think that in the end, all of your trouble will be well worth it. You're likely to have a finished product that will touch as many others has it has you.

Ah, I love that quote. I started writing religiously a month ago and once a new idea comes to my mind I can't relax until I get it on my computer. Yes, it is frustrating and overwhelming, but oh so satisfying when I get done.

Well, I am not done yet, but I am hoping it will be satisfying Just a few more weeks to go!

Good luck to you, and I am interested in reading your novel since your blood and tears are mixed in with it. Should be a fabulous read

[I re-read your post, and I see that you are emotionally involved in the STORY, not the process. I understand how you feel, I have two kids and when I am writing a scene about betrayal or something similar, I get a lot more snippy when dealing with them. A good scene = ice cream break and games. A bad scene= don't talk to mommy for a few hours till she get backs to reality!]

Really crappy, melodramatic prose happens if I allow myself to relive emotions in a scene that I am writing. Of course I could go there -- plenty of raw feelings and bad experiences to draw from -- but I guess I've learned to keep it all locked away somewhat. It comes out in small doses anyway, though.

So, yeah. The older and more worn out I get I become less and less interested in suffering for art's sake. A good drink, some good music, and I'm a happy guy. Even if the story I'm on is utterly depressing.

For me, I can't say I could describe writing as painful, even if the topic covered a painful part of my life, but certainly do feel emotional but in a constructive way, writing gives me a better understanding of myself and things in general, as I said even if I'm covering something that was painful that emotion is somehow transformed in the process of writing.