Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
After seven months, I finally finished a seven page story to add to my Wattpad novella, “VII.” To be perfectly honest, I am a bit disappointed in myself. However, I’m not going to let the disappointment slow down my momentum. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer over this past year, and I hope to put what I’ve learned to good use.
What Affected My Momentum Since Starting VII?
A lot of things directly affected my writing since I started publishing on Wattpad. Most of them happen to be personal demons that I am slaying one by one. Although the war hasn’t been won yet, I will continue to battle until one side becomes victorious.
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Severe Bouts with Depression
One of the biggest problems I’ve had in the past is severe depression. It’s hard to stay motivated to keep up the momentum when you’re too depressed to do anything about it. It’s much easier to sit at your desk and stream random pieces of content day in and day out.
This depression had driven me to the edge of death. I’m not suicidal, mind you. But my health was failing rapidly and my mind was becoming mush. I was a broken individual. In many ways, I still am. However, I feel I am doing a good job at picking up the pieces and putting myself back together.
It took my heart to stop and leaving my family to make me realize what I was doing was slowly killing myself off. Yes, it tore me apart to leave my family. But it had to be done if I wanted to live. After all, I’m no good to my children if I am dead.
Getting Easily Sidetracked
Another of my biggest issues is getting easily sidetracked with random things throughout the day. I used to tell people I didn’t have time for certain things. Now I realize I was just making excuses. It’s amazing what you can get done in a week when you’re not binge watching Netflix or YouTube.
I can’t say that I completely wasted 100% of my time, though. Some of the things I watch on YouTube have been inspirational to come up with some new ideas of stories on Wattpad…especially the strange mysteries videos.
The point of this is not letting random useless elements steal the momentum of completing a task. Whether it’s writing a novel or ghostwriting for a client, it’s better to keep focused and push through. You can play when the job is done. Just don’t let it consume too much of your time. Otherwise it will be one year since you started a novella and still not finished with it.
Not Scheduling Time Better
I still haven’t created the best schedule, but it’s getting there. Again, it’s easier to get more done when I don’t spend so much time watching YouTube. If I can keep focus and push through my daily needs, I can easily afford the time to do the wants. In this instance, I want to finish writing VII.
When you can adhere to a schedule that benefits you greatly, it’s easier to keep the momentum and finish projects. While it may be difficult, especially for those who are working from home, it’s something that can open far more doors for greater opportunities. It’s all about organizing your time better and then reaping the rewards.
One of my problems is wanting to do too much without stabilizing the things that work. For instance, I want to stream on Twitch, create YouTube videos, write books, run my blogs and develop my own games. It’s way too much and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. At which point, I don’t excel at anything because my mind is split into too many directions.
What’s worked the best so far has been to get a groove going where the important and successful things are maintained. Then, add another element into the day when I am sure the schedule is working out. Now all I need to do is work on sleeping.
Lack of Confidence
My lack of confidence is easily linked to depression. Much of the time, these two elements walk hand in hand. However, that is starting to change along with my mindset. I need to relish more in the things I complete rather than whether they will be popular or not.
I know I bring up instant gratification a lot and how it can be detrimental to your goals. When you don’t see your blogs or published works getting the attention you want, it can be disheartening. It can easily sap your momentum and confidence to continue.
It also doesn’t help that I am overly critical of my abilities. I know I am an excellent and successful ghostwriter, but I don’t know if I have the ability to transition from writing for clients to diving into fiction like I want. In other words, I am not confident I’ll be as successful as a novelist as I am a freelancer.
Then again, at one point in my life, I once said the same thing about data entry. I never thought I would be anything more than a transcriber sitting at a keyboard every day converting paper documents into digital ones. Today, I am beyond being a data entry specialist.
Lack of Effort
One of the biggest things I try to teach other writers and bloggers is to be consistent and put in the effort to succeed. Yeah, I know…practice what you preach, right? I’m not the most consistent person on the Internet unless it’s for a client who needs a blog post.
You will fail 100% of the things you do not try. How will I know if I’m good enough if I don’t put in the effort? That’s the most important lesson, I think. Without effort, it’s impossible to succeed. Even many of those who won the lottery failed miserably later on in life.
Effort keeps the momentum alive. Like a snowball rolling down the hill, it will get to the point when you don’t have to talk yourself into a task – you’ll just do it naturally and pick up speed as you go.
What’s Next for VII?
With “Envy” out of the way, it’s time to start working on the last two chapters: Pride and All in a Bow. I’m still toying with the idea of expanding each of the stories and turning them into a full-sized novel. I guess we’ll see where it goes from here. First, I need to finish what I started and keep the momentum for creating more.
Now that my mom’s book is published and my sister is working on getting her next two on the shelves, I am feeling a bit left behind.
Moving On
My novella, “VII” is my largest single piece of content in my published works. Which is sad considering how quick of a read it is. However, I am going to relish in the idea that I completed something. And I’m sure it will play into keeping my mental state where it needs to be if I want to continue as a writer. Build your own momentum and finish the things you start. You never know what will be a success if you don’t try.
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