When it’s hard to find any story idea
But write anything down, anything at all.
Test what you come up with, let your mind free fall.
Tell yourself you’re fighting imaginary fear.
Writing can be like driving in that you need enough confidence to do it well but not so much you come across as an arrogant tit. I don’t believe in writers’ block but do accept there are days when the words simply refuse to flow well. I think that’s a normal part of being a writer. We’re not robots - there are bound to be times when life, difficult circumstances or whatever prey on our minds and that’s bound to affect the writing. What matters is you keep writing - anything at all, seriously, it does work - and remember every writer has had their day when they felt like packing it in. The world would’ve been poorer had they done so.
The joy of being short-listed
Is showing that you’ve resisted
The temptation to jack it all in
When rejections are all that come in
You’ve kept going, you’ve persisted!
The above says it all. Being short-listed boosts your confidence. I wish I could bottle that feeling of achievement and how good it makes you feel as a writer, it’d sell by the million! It’s also good to put on the writing CV! Want to write better? Write more! Try different forms. I’ve found writing short stories with a tight word count has led to my writing my Brenebourne series in a tighter fashion, which will reduce the word count there (never a bad thing as I overwrite) and I’ve found my narrative pace has picked up too.