Hi Friends
This week has been a hard one! Fancy that! Even with my Pocket Novel, The Sweetest Thing, out on the shelves…life itself was still challenging. Family time has been precious and I spent a bit of time celebrating quietly all the while with a niggle at the back of my head (one of several more pressing than this one if I’m honest - and I will be honest in time, but not yet).
I haven’t stared at the screen. I haven’t written any words. The veil between my world and the one of my imagination has been filled with practical “must dos”. Doubt has been louder than usual.
This isn’t the first time I’ve faced this - despite successes. I wonder if it is down to adrenalin rush and then a crash of sorts.
I’ve felt this before - 7 Full requests, then nothing; appearing at a Final in front of publishing giants, then nothing. It’s a panicky feeling to wonder if you can ever do it all again - or even start (I do remember that feeling too!). And as a side note - every one of those perceived “failures” taught me something or introduced me to someone or furthered my writing ambitions - so they were not entirely lost moments! The only loss would be to stop…right?
So if you’re in that kind of space too, I’m writing for you today - not with answers, but with a hand on your shoulder and a few reminders.
No matter where you are in your writing life, this is for you.
Photo: Jackie Morrison. Notebook full of blank pages! Gifted on publication week.
For the writer struggling to start
You are not late. You are not behind. A notebook full of blank pages! The page can feel enormous before a single word lands on it—but it doesn’t need to be filled all at once.
Starting doesn’t mean launching into brilliance. Starting means writing something. Anything that gets you from silence to motion.
Reminder: The first idea might not be “the one.” But it might lead you there.
Affirmation: I don’t need the perfect idea to begin. I only need the courage to start messy.
Try this: Open a note or voice memo. Jot down one moment from your week that stuck with you—a line you overheard, a feeling you can't shake. If you keep an “ideas” notebook - stick a pin in one and write a piece of flash of only 50 words. That’s a beginning.
For the writer stuck in the messy middle
Maybe you’ve written yourself into a corner. Your characters are misbehaving! Maybe the story has lost its spark. That’s okay. The middle is always harder than the start - it’s where the shine wears off and the real work begins. For all the writers out there on social media who look like an overnight success, there are many who simply stayed the course - some times for years! Keep going!
Reminder: Doubt in the middle doesn’t mean your story is wrong. It means you care enough to want it to be right. Getting it right is ok, but warn yourself against “perfect” - that will stranglehold you! (Ask how I know, lol?!)
Affirmation: I can hold the doubt and keep writing anyway.
Try this: Skip ahead. Write the scene you do know. Or write a letter from one character to another. Let the story speak sideways if it won’t come straight.
For the writer who’s finished but feeling unsure
You reached the end. And now it feels like your words are blinking under a spotlight. Is it good enough? Will people “get” it?
Reminder: No story is perfect. But finishing is rare and brave. Celebrate that.
Affirmation: I created something that didn’t exist before. That is enough.
Try this: Let it rest like bread dough. Come back with fresh, kinder eyes. You’ll be surprised what’s already working.
Photo: Jackie Morrison. A gifted notebook on publication week. Thank you friend.
For the writer who’s published and wondering if they can do it again
That’s me today!!! Each new page demands a new leap. And just because it’s hard now doesn’t mean you’ve lost your voice. It just means you’re standing at the edge of something new.
Reminder: Oh my goodness - this is really important, so take it in!!! You don’t have to outdo your last piece. You just have to write the next honest thing.
Affirmation: I am a writer because I write—not because I prove anything.
Try this: Write something no one needs to see. A letter. A journal entry. A note to your younger writer self. Try my very first prompt from my pages here: I’m Looking At!! Reclaim the joy without the pressure.
Note on that photo: My attic holds a bundle of pale blue tissue light airmail letters from my German penpal (from my school days) in beautiful script handwriting and decorated with pressed flowers from her father’s professional garden (it was his day job and passion) - they are stunning. Perhaps one day I will use them as a prompt!
Final thoughts
We live in a culture that loves outcomes—books, likes, lists. But writing is often quiet, private, repetitive. It asks us to show up when no one is looking, when there’s no-one celebrating us reaching 40,000 words, or The End.
And still, we do.
That’s not failure. That’s faith.
So wherever you are this week—starting, stuck, finished, or beginning again—I see you. And I believe in the writer you are becoming.
Let’s keep going.
We’re here for you in the Little Writing Corner - I’m sure there are loads of us at different stages mentioned…and we are still writing (or thinking about writing, or planning our next thing).
Until next time, dear friend - I see you! Love from Jackie in the Little Writing Corner in Scotland x x
No notes or links this week I’m afraid. Life has been chaotic. So here’s picture of the beautifully restored National Trust houses just around the corner! Perhaps you can use it as a prompt or an encouragement to keep going. Happy writing! x x
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