Writers Gonna Write: What To Do When You Feel Like Your Work Might Be Shit

So, somebody posted a question in my Tumblr “Ask” box about feeling like everything you write is “shit” all of a sudden and I was like YES, OMG THIS because A) I'm pretty sure this is the bane of every writer's existence everywhere ever at some point and B) …really just that.

Surprisingly, I found myself writing out an answer. Which is odd because I admittedly could use some REAL TALK on this exact issue myself every now and again. But apparently I had some advice on the matter, unbeknownst to me.

If you are a writer/artist/actor/etc. etc. I’m willing to bet that you know what I mean. This is not writer's block,. This is not writer’s indecision. It is often confused for both, and perhaps influenced by the former, but this is different. This is not an inability to write, but a self-loathing / self-conscious block that stands between you and your writing. It’s hard to spot because often it looks exactly like writing- except usually, it happens at four in the morning when you are one (or more) of the following: surrounded by empty coffee cups, sweating, procrastinating (trolling twitter or blogger maybe, are you are doing it right now???) feeling frustrated with where you're at/what you're trying to say, wondering if perhaps you should throw it away altogether and you throw up your hands and say in so many words: "THIS IS SHIT WHAT AM I DOING WHY DO I SUCK SO MUCH."

Unlike "writer's block" (which many contest "DOES NOT EXIST YR JUST AFRAID OF THE TRUTH" or something like that, to which I say- kudos to you for being so brave all the time, condescending writer-type) this is undeniably real. It’s also part of the Process and, in my professional opinion as a doctor, caused by a unique combination of Attention Deficit Disorder and the unavoidable madness that is brought on by most any craft that involves somebody sitting alone in a room for more than an hour.

So, here is my advice for that self-deprecating place that I think all artists go to sometimes. My cure-all for what I will lovingly coin, "Writer's Loathe"

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR WORK MIGHT BE SHIT by Mal Blum:

1) It might be shit- in which case: take a break, do something else (like go for a walk, or cook a meal or drive somewhere-whatever clears your mind/inspires you), listen to some other music (or read some other work in your case), and come back to it later on when not forcing it.

2) You might think that it’s shit but it’s not shit-in which case, same advice (take a break, go for a walk, etc.) BUT also, if you can, get together with some peers/other poets and WORKSHOP THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Sometimes all you need is a new perspective on something. I almost never finished “Watercolors” (off my new album) and I thought “Cut it Off” was pretty bad until I played them for some friends (NOTE: this does not always work if your friends don’t care, or if it’s a workshop where everybody is mostly thinking about their own works, you have to find the right people) .

3) It might just need some more work- This is the opposite of #1, and the advice is the opposite. Is it actually bad work? Or does it just need arranging and editing (applicable for both songs and poems!). Force yourself to sit down with it with minimal distraction for an hour and see what happens. Promise yourself that even if nothing happens you’ll give it a go. Do it again the next day. This also works with writer’s block, I find. Sometimes a song is in there and I just haven’t sat down long enough to think of it.

3A) Sometimes switching mediums helps!…When I pick up a new instrument, I start writing more. Perhaps try a haiku or even a three line poem? Or even a short story, if that’s your thing. Or actually, ESPECIALLY if that’s not your thing. Getting out of your comfort zone will help get you out of your head and it just might get you over your hump!

The biggest thing to remember is not to worry and psych yourself out. When I do, I try to remind myself that I’ll write well when I feel like writing again (and you will, don’t worry!).