If You’re Bored

If you’re bored, no…if you’re not thoroughly riveted by the piece you’re writing, it’s not ready for a reader. And until this criteria is met, it never will be.

If you’re not thoroughly riveted by the piece you’re writing, it’s not ready for a reader. Share on X

In my 2 June post I wrote about a different situation––one in which the writer has a pair of contrasting positive emotions about the piece s/he is creating. But here I’m speaking to when the project, no matter how much you’ve tried, holds no interest for you. The material doesn’t draw you in. The project is utterly failing to take on a life of its own.

So what to do?

Option #1: Narrow the Scope

There’s likely something that brought you to the project to begin with, some nugget, some core. Go and reimagine the project based on that core. What brought you to the project? Perhaps what has happened is you’ve lost that initial excitement as you’ve sought to develop the story and it’s become diluted, cluttered, overgrown. Find that core, narrow the scope to only that core, and start again.

Option #2: Abandon the Project

You may have to abandon the work. Recognize that this is not about you, your work ethic, or your ability to finish. This is about the work. The work either functions or it doesn’t. And you don’t have time to focus on work that isn’t begging you to.

In the end, you are writing for a reader. The first step in gaining a reader’s trust starts long before you encounter them. You must write work that pulls you to the edge of your creative seat, work that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Anything less is not worth your precious time. And won’t be worth your reader’s precious time either.