Does writing your story make you feel better or worse?

[DireBadger]

I am not sure how creating something permanent, getting your creativity and identity out into the world, and reveling in something you are truly good at could ever make you feel 'worse'. Even the depressing chapters are artistic masterworks you can (hopefully) take pride in.

If writing makes you feel worse, you are doing something wrong. Try making YouTube videos instead.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

Worse? Not really


A little tired, a little wired, a little dose of dopamine.

Though my procrastination does set in from time to time... then I get posting on the forums instead of, you know, writing

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I adore writing. It's been my career for close to 40 years. I get "stuck" at times, and I just "get away" from it for a little while, and not think about it. Then when I'm feeling inspired, I'll open the file up and jump right back in. Sometimes, you just have to think about yourself and not the audience. You matter the most, not them. What they want can wait. It's what you want that matters most.

 

[Bartun]

Writing my story is the only thing holding me together. I just love it so much.

 

[Okram]

Random thought that hit me today after finishing a chapter.

Before I started seriously writing, I was stuck in a pretty unfulfilling cycle: mindless gaming binges, staying up way too late for no reason, general resentment about how the skills I’d developed (English in a country where almost nobody speaks it) felt wasted in my day job. Life felt…purposeless, I guess?

After committing to actually drafting, polishing, and sticking to a writing schedule after work, things shifted. I sleep better now. I’m more confident when people ask about hobbies. Instead of mumbling “I just game a lot,” I can say “I write and serialize stories.” It’s a small thing, but it makes me feel like I have direction and identity, even though my story isn’t making me a single cent yet.

The trade-off being, I’ve probably swapped one type of anxiety for another. Instead of “WTF am I doing with my life?” it’s now “Will I get more followers/favorites/ratings tomorrow?” I keep reminding myself not to let external validation ruin the fun of writing, but… yeah, the mood’s still there.

Overall, picking up fiction writing has made my life better, though I’m still working on the validation anxiety part. What about you? Has writing improved your life, or just given you new things to stress about?

Absolutely much better. If you are writing for free and not enjoying it, then what's the point?