Elliot Kessler

I love writing. I’ve written two novels so far, one of which I am currently editing, a few novellas, and several short stories. I love coming up with new characters and putting them in new and dangerous situations. It’s a ton of fun, it’s a great creative output, and I could potentially make a living off of it one day.

But despite this joy I find in storytelling, I’ve found myself stressing every time I sit at my desk to work on my books. I feel a headache start to come on, and I find it difficult to get words down on the page.

Why is this? What happened to my passion and joy?

Well, it turns out there’s a lot more to the business of creative writing than I thought there was. I’ve been writing these stories recently because I feel like I have to. I have found myself getting overwhelmed. There’s so much I need to do to turn my writing into a profitable business. I started everything all wrong. There is a lot that needs to be done with marketing that I don’t understand.

Point is, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, and it’s starting to freak me out. I’ve begun looking at stories as content and assets instead of fun adventures through new worlds. My writing has become dry. I’ve found a lot of things wrong with it. I’m scared people won’t like it. I get angry when my stories aren’t perfect.

So, yeah. I’m a little stressed.

Because of this, I’m going to take a step back from my current projects and work on something else for a little while, which is convenient, because National Novel Writing Month is only a few weeks away!

What does the near future look like for my writing now?

I’m going back to my roots. I’m re-examining why I write so I can begin to understand the how better. I’m going to write short stories, work on finding inspiration, and putting the joy back into my storytelling.

The two projects I have in progress right now, which are a novel (the first of a trilogy) and the sequel to my Eorum novella, are stories that, I think, take themselves too seriously. I’ve forgotten how to have fun, and that’s going to change.

Henceforth, I shall go back to what I did with my short stories and Liar’s Legacy and reintroduce the silliness and witty humor, potentially to a higher degree!

Some of my favorite stories are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. That doesn’t mean serious stories are bad. I love authors like Philip K. Dick, Orson Scott Card, and Frank Herbert. But I also love Douglas Adams, and even J. R. R. Tolkien added plenty of humor to The Hobbit.

Stories are supposed to be fun, and I think I’m better at writing those stories than I am at the more serious ones.

What does this mean for my future books?

It means to prepare yourself for fast-paced action, fun characters, and terrible jokes!

As I said, I’m taking a step back from my current projects, and I’m going to work on something new for National Novel Writing Month. (Yes, I’m challenging myself to write a novel in one month as a stress reliever. Probably not the best plan, but that’s okay.)

I’m excited for this project. I’m not going to reveal anything here, but it’s the kind of story I’ve been wanting to write for a long time, but I couldn’t find the right idea. Now I have, and I’m about to blow your mind!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.