How does anxiety affect your writing?

4 posts

How Does Anxiety Affect Your Writing

  • I feel like it has to be perfect so I don't write anything. 12%
  • I have so much to worry about that it's hard to be creative. 9%
  • I'm scared to write about certain topics in case I offend people. 12%
  • I worry that it won't amount to anything so I get frustrated and end up not writing at all. 17%
  • When I sit down to write I feel like there's something more important I should be doing. 11%
  • I get so tired out being anxious that I don't have the energy to write anything. 12%
  • I don't feel comfortable sharing my work because I think I'm just taking up space. 11%
  • I worry that my friends/family will react negatively. 17%

Total votes: 66

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Tenyo
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Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:35 am
Tenyo says... · Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:35 am
I've seen so many writers being suffocated by general anxiety, and I'm curious about how it affects your writing and other creative pursuits, if at all.

I included a poll to make it easier for those who write a post out five times and then don't post because it's not perfect. Tick as many as you like.
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niteowl
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Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:21 pm
niteowl says... · Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:21 pm
Um...all of the above. Seriously, I can't even type a comment on Reddit because I'll start it and be like "nah, no one cares, this isn't adding anything" lol.
"You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand." Leonardo Da Vinci

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jster02
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Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:18 pm
jster02 says... · Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:18 pm
I'd say every one of those except the last two have applied to me at some time or other. Usually it doesn't get so extreme that it actually stops me from writing though... My biggest source of anxiety when it comes to writing is worrying that I haven't been doing it enough. Life gets in the way, or I just don't feel like doing it, and I stop. Then I feel guilty that I haven't made any progress. But I always come back eventually, so I guess that's good.
What's the point of success if it makes me miserable?
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Atticus
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Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:31 pm
Atticus says... · Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:31 pm
I tend to be obsessed with my base idea for the story being perfect. If there's something that doesn't quite add up or if I encounter even the smallest plot hole, I feel a need to restart the entire story, and it means that writing stories that I feel satisfied with is virtually impossible. I marked all of the issues that I feel affect me, but I do recognize that there is definitely a link between being a perfectionist in regards to writing and anxiety.
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