Take Your Time: Why You Shouldn't Feel the Need to Rush Your Writing Career

Your book on a shelf. Somewhere (a bookstore, a friend's house, a library), somehow (hopefully not one involving bribery). That, ultimately, is every writer's goal. We have a story to tell and we want to tell it. Now. Right now.

But life gets busy. School is hard, but we're pretty sure we need it because that's what people keep saying, so we go to school and keep our stories in the back of our minds. Work is annoying, but eating is kind of nice, so we head off to work while dreaming of our notebooks and word documents. Family is important and a social life is (presumably) necessary, so we take time out for that, too.

What happens to our story? It gets pushed to the side. An overwhelming feeling arises: I need to write it. I need to write it NOW. 

But we're never quite able to write as much as we want...or when we want to. And, so, we feel like failures. Like we're not doing enough.

Have you ever felt this way?

Well, here's the thing:

You shouldn't.
I look around me and see so many writers rushing after publication: They need it, and they need it now. I get it, because I often feel exactly the same way.

But you know what else I see? Authors publishing stories prematurely, then crawling under their desk in shame when they realize that they just blew their shot at a first impression. Writers spending sweat and tears querying only to receive rejection after rejection because agents or publishers don't want a rushed book.

And I see something else, too: Writers looking over their shoulders, seeing other authors and thinking, "They wrote that book in 6 months! I've been working on mine for years. I must suck."

It's not a good mindset, guys. I'm not completely sure where it came from, but I do know that it needs to stop.

Maybe the mindset comes from our fast-paced society. In which case: This same fast-paced style birthed cheese-in-a-can (because who has time to cut cheese?). Do you really want your book to be the equivalent of Cheez Whiz? I thought not.

Maybe it's a need for instant gratification. Well, I have news for you: It's never going to be enough. You publish one thing quickly? Great. The excitement will last a while, but then you'll find yourself needing more. And then you'll be off again, chasing after some unachievable feeling and invariably trip on something, spill your coffee all over yourself, then topple into a bookshelf and be buried alive. Not fun.

Maybe it's a desire for money or fame. Errrr. No. This is terrible motivation for writing a book. Or doing anything else, really.

Whatever the reason for this frantic need to publish, it's absurd.

This is not a race. You write your story. Yours. You take as much or as little time as you need to make it into something complete and beautiful and worthy of pride.

Don't look at what other people are doing: They're not you. They have different goals and writing styles and story lengths. To compare your writing career with another person is stupid.
Don't do it.

Don't look at what you haven't accomplished yet. Instead, look at what you have accomplished so far. Yes, this applies even if you've only written a paragraph. Look at that paragraph! It's yours and you wrote it. You picked the words, you put them in that order. Those specific words have never been in that specific order ever before, so be proud of what you've created.

Don't look at how long it's taking you. Look at where it is taking you. Are you learning new skills? Discovering new ideas? Then your writing has already taken you to a new, better place. It is already worthwhile. You don't need immediate publication to prove that you are spending your time wisely.

Never feel bad for taking a long time on a story. You'll finish someday.

Never feel bad for not having published yet. Your book will be on somebody's shelf someday.

All you need is time. Not any specific, set amount. Just time. That's all. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. Nobody can tell for sure, which is why you shouldn't feel the need to rush. Because what are you rushing for, anyway? What imaginary deadline are you chasing? If it's killing your story or your soul, then throw it out the window. You don't need it.

What you do need is the willingness to work hard, the heart to keep pushing forward, and the patience to keep yourself from butchering your story in an attempt to earn the title of "author" or "author of multiple books." (Okay, that last one isn't really a title, but we're all just going to go with it, okay? Thanks).

Oh, and you may need a little bit of chocolate. Okay. Maybe a lot of chocolate.

But the point is: Don't rush this. There's no scenario where rushing your writing will turn out well. But there are hundreds where working at your own pace will pay off.

What do you think? Can you relax now? Can you stop killing yourself to get your book off and published and instead focus on the act of creation? I hope so.

Have writing or reading questions? Use the hashtag #ChatWithHannah in the comment section below or on social media to have them answered on my Youtube channel!
Related articles: Why You Need to Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Writers (And How to Do It)7 Tips for Balancing Your Writing with the Rest of Your Life12 Writing Myths You Need to Stop Believing
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