Toughest Writing Challenges and How to Overcome them

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The toughest writing challenges can be overcome using these tricks and tips

Writers are creators of their own world, a world that mesmerizes their readers with captivating thoughts. A good entertaining writer is paid handsomely by the publishers. Nowadays, several other types of content writing services have found their demands in the market. However, though writing, as a job may seem lucrative to some, it is not so easy to master. Writers face writing challenges of various types and degrees throughout their writing careers. Overcoming them might be tough sometimes. Here is a list of the top ten toughest writing challenges a writer faces and solutions for how to overcome them.

1. Lack of training

No training in writing may pose a hindrance in starting your career. Writing is a wide-ranging and varied professional field. Whether you are opting for a career in copywriting at an advertising agency or a self-employed literary contributor for a magazine, you need to learn the art first. If you are determined to become a writer by profession, then first get a writing certification from a reputed institution. Such training will help you overcome the toughest writing challenges you might face in your career.

Why do you need training in content writing?

Most aspiring authors do not know what it takes to start writing a good article or literary work. Inspired by other people’s work they jump into writing and publishing books with no training. And when their process does not succeed they become disappointed. Hence, author training is required.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

The best way to overcome this writing challenge is by taking a course in content writing. There are various online training courses available in the market that will teach you how to become a successful writer. One such course is offered by Henry Harvin. Their Content Writing Course has a unique way of teaching the freshers and bringing out the best writing skills from them.

You can develop writing skills for 30 different types of content like Creative Writing, Business Writing, Technical Writing, Medical Writing, Social Media Writing, SEO Writing, Book Writing, Copywriting, and much more.

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You may also find this video on Content Writing Course for Beginners useful if you wish to avail of any course from Henry Harvin.

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2. Choose the right genre

Have you ever wondered why some books become very famous and some do not? What makes the series of Harry Potter so popular among readers of different ages? Well, the answer is undoubtedly the genre of the book – magical. This magical book genre is a blend of children’s fiction and fantasy fiction that creates the topmost book genres of all time.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Many new writers find it difficult to identify the correct genre for their writing. In fact, it is one of the toughest writing challenges one might face.

Whether it will be romance or thriller, sci-fi or fantasy, historical or mystical, totally depends on what you like as a person.
If you do not like ghosts and ghost stories then there is little chance that you will succeed as a ghost story writer.
But if you like detective novels and thrillers then it is better to pick up this genre as a starting point for your writing career.

The trainers of Henry Harvin’s Content Writing Course might help you identify the right genre for you through counselling and practice.

3. Researching for your work

Research is an integral part of your writing career. Whenever you are writing about a topic, you might need to find references and information relevant to the topic. Searching for an authentic piece of information might be challenging as there exist oceans of facts and figures in various websites and books available in the market.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Devote some time to research work every day.
Seek out reputed sources like a good library or online sources for the purpose.
Take a course in content writing to find out how research works are done by professional content writers.
Learn to cross-check the authenticity of the facts and figures available from various sources.

Researching is an art and you need to learn it from experts if you are a novice. Learn how to do research in content writing from the experts of Henry Harvin who will properly guide you through the course.

4. Blank Page Syndrome or Writer’s Block

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Is the blinking cursor on the computer screen giving you anxiety? Are you scared that you might not be able to fill the blank screen of the word document with words and complete the project? Well, you are suffering from the blank page syndrome, one of the toughest writing challenges faced by a writer.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Avoid the computer screen and the machine for writing your article. Go back to the old-fashioned way of pen and paper and start jotting down whatever points that are coming into your head.
You can try speaking out loud your writing ideas or recording the thoughts for transcribing them into text in the future.
Do not start judging your work before starting it. This is perhaps the most common reason why your writer’s instincts get blocked before starting the project.

5. Avoid the Distractions

New writers often find it difficult to concentrate on their work. The reasons are both online and offline distractions that cause them to be carried away from their original task. To keep your work time distraction-free you need to follow certain disciplines.

Types of offline distractions and how to overcome them:-

Having kids at home can be very distracting for a writer. The best way to tackle this situation is to find the correct time when they are least bothering you. Choose the timings when the kids are at school or playground or sleeping. Late nights can be a suitable time for new writers to start their work.
Noisy neighbourhoods or in-house activities can be avoided by choosing the right timing.
Do not keep your writing desk near a television set. Noise from the TV set can be distracting too.
Not having a proper desk and chair to sit and write is another reason why writers get distracted from their work. Find a suitable corner in your room or house where you can put your desk and write. Make sure the room is well-lit.

Types of online distractions and how to overcome them:-

If you keep your mobile near you while working and keep all your social media apps open, continuous notification flooding your mobile screen will cause distraction. You will feel tempted to open these apps and peek into what is going on in your friends’ circle. Avoiding social media addiction can be one of the toughest writing challenges for any new writer. The best way to deal with such a writing challenge is to keep your mobile switched off for a period of time while you are at your work.
Find distraction-blocking apps from Google chrome and install them on your mobile. These apps work miraculously. They block the feed from social media platforms and stop users from getting addicted to them.

6. The Feast and Famine Writing Cycle

Balancing the act of writing and finding the next writing job simultaneously is popularly known as the feast and famine writing cycle. If you are totally dependent on the writing job for financial support, it becomes quite challenging for any writer to find another good horse to ride while you are already riding one. One month you may get paid handsomely for your work, the next you may fail to get a good project. Non-payment on the part of the client can be another reason for anxiety for you. If your mind gets preoccupied with the thought of remuneration, your good work might get hampered.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

The best way to manage this situation is to learn a little bit about finance management. Start saving a part of your earnings. This will be useful when you are out of work. Though this is not the permanent solution yet it works during the slack periods.
Never stop marketing your writing services. Use various platforms to find writing jobs and start pitching them through cold emails. Use social media platforms to showcase your previous works and get attracted readers and future clients through references.

7. Brilliant Ideas Getting Lost

True it is, life has a habit of getting in your way all the time. Even an over-enthusiastic writer may say this – “Where’s the time to write? There’s so much to for the family!” Getting a break from household chores, everyday mundane work, 9-5 office jobs, etc. can be a tough challenge for any new writer. All you need is to budget time just like you budget your finance. This way you will be able to practice writing on a regular basis.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Schedule your deliverables and daily activities. Set a fixed time for research and writing jobs.
A laptop or computer is not necessary to start any writing assignment. Even a diary and a pen are enough to note down the thoughts whenever they come.

8. Productivity Slump

Consistent productivity in any field of work is the way to success. And the job of writing is in no way different from others. But sometimes you find it tough to find the correct words for your content or the right motivation to start a new assignment. You might feel lethargic to pick up the pen or sit in front of the laptop and type a few words.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Start working out. Exercising regularly keeps your brain and body fit. You will feel less lethargic and more energetic. A little walk in the park every morning, breathing in that fresh morning air full of oxygen and a little bit of free-hand exercise will improve your thinking power, and the sharpness of your brain and motivate you to take up any task enthusiastically.
Take a hot shower if the weather is cool outside. Or, a nice deep into the cool swimming pool on a hot summer day will relieve your stressful mind and rejuvenate you.

9. Managing Deadlines

Deadlines for creative work can be a tough writing challenge for many. It is stressful and stifling. Missing a deadline means no payment for all the hard work done. This could be de-motivating for many new writers.

Meeting deadlines should be part of your occupation. It helps you grow professionally as a writer also.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Set your goals. First, decide what to write and by when to finish. Is it a short story or a chapter of a novel per week, you need to decide the amount of work you wish to deliver according to the availability of time and pace of work.
Prioritise your list based on the importance of the assignment. Create this small list of work every day and start working on them to achieve daily goals.
Set a time limit for each work and try to maintain it.
Do not over-commit. Do not pick up big projects that need to be delivered in a short period of time. Calculate the time of research and writing needed for each project before committing anything about deliverables and time.
The best way to learn time management in writing jobs is to do internships at a reputed content writing firm like Henry Harvin where you will be given tasks with deadlines to attain. If you do practices through internships before diving into the ocean, you will find it easier to cope with this tough writing challenge.

10. Dealing with Rejections

This is perhaps the toughest writing challenge ever faced by any writer, especially a new one. The question, “What if my work gets rejected?” settles deep into the mind and the ‘rejection fear’ starts haunting every writer. Rejection arouses your inner critic and starts telling you what an awful writer you are! These comments negatively affect your self-esteem and new writers often stop writing and thus lose hope of progressing in the professional field. But this can be overcome if we follow a few steps.

How to overcome this writing challenge?

Do not pay any heed to your inner critic of yours. Do not let these negative thoughts occupy your brain. Seek distractions from self-criticism by doing activities that make you happy. Take a good deep breath or a walk or a break from the daily chores to refresh your mind.
Explore your individuality in the field of work. Try to find out what you are good at, and the possibilities your talents hold in the professional world and nurture these skills to gain proficiency.
Find an alternative publisher to send your rejected articles to. Always keep a list of alternate publishers in hand. If the first publisher rejects your writing, send the same article to the publisher who is next in line according to your choice. It might happen that the second or the third one actually accepts what you have written. This way you won’t feel disappointed every time you face rejection.
Try to understand your client’s needs. Getting rejected is not always bad. It gives opportunities to explore what other possibilities are there to satisfy the needs of your publishers. This way you will learn the other aspects of the trade which will ultimately prove beneficial for you.

Conclusion

There are several types of writing jobs – academic, creative, technical, etc. Each of them requires different approaches which you need to learn. If you are determined to pursue a writing profession seriously then you have to learn the trade first by attending training sessions offered by any content writing institutions. The only way to overcome some of the toughest writing challenges faced by any writer is to get trained in the trade first.

Frequently asked questions:-

Q1. How can I start a career as a writer without prior experience in writing?

First, take training in content writing from any reputed institution. Then start your own blog where you can display your writeups on various genres. Build a niche and write more on it. Start offering free writing services as a guest blogger to those online portals that allow such services. Try improving your writing skills steadily. This way you will be able to build a reputation as a good writer. These writeups will help you build your portfolio. and you will be able to pitch for paid writing jobs based on this.

Q2. How can I find suitable writing jobs for freshers?

Finding suitable writing jobs can be tough sometimes. However, nowadays you may find several online job portals that publish content writing jobs for freshers as well as experienced writers.

Q3. Can a person pursue a writing career even if he/she is not creative?

Yes, the person can pursue a career in writing even if he/she is not so creative. Technical writing can be the best option in this case. In order to write well in this particular genre, one may have to take training in a technical writing course in order to know how to overcome writing challenges in the same.

Q4. What should a writer do if he/she is not feeling creative enough?

Not feeling creative enough is one of the toughest writing challenges faced by any writer. If the writer is not feeling creative, then he/she should start looking for other creative activities like painting, singing, dancing, etc. to remove the mental blockage. Start visualising ideas. This will help sort out the problem.

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