Okay so I totally made this up, calling myself out here with what I call "writer's ego." I'll explain what I'm talking about below and how, ironically, it often prevents you from doing what you're here for in the first place: writing your manuscript!

Novel Writing Tip: What is "writer's ego" ?

If you aren't a published author (self or traditionally), you're a writer, which probably means you have writing to do... manuscripts to draft, drafts to complete, revisions to complete, etc., on the journey to publishing said manuscript. As of this post date, since 2020, I've been in this boat.

What I'm learning & observing is that if you want your manuscript to be read as a book someday, marketing & being online is a very huge reality. With this emphasis on marketing & building a platform, it’s easy to get caught up in social media & feel like you’re an author... without actually manifesting or revising the words of your manuscript…

What my writer's ego looks like:

Writer's ego is when I essentially get to play pretend being an author, letting the dedication to my manuscript slide for a considerable amount of time in favor of social media, day dreaming, vibes, and aesthetics.

Note: there isn't anything technically or inherently wrong with this (!) but rather my goal is just to point out I've noticed this for myself and I was glad I noticed it, whether or not it bothered me or I decided to do anything differently.

How Writer's Ego Can Happen:

In my experience, the returns on posting, publishing a blog, or comments, provide quicker feedback & satisfaction than an ~80k word manuscript & it still feels like I’m doing the thing. Which is true. At the end of the day, it is all doing the thing, and it's the nature of the game at this point in time.

Social media platforms, website/blog SEO, etc takes time to build and gain traction... This leads many writers to head online & build their social media game (and network & meet community!!) before they have completed or published manuscripts. And like I said, it also takes time, a lot of time & energy- as fun & rewarding as it also can be. So it's just the nature of being and getting online, as we all know. With that being said, writer's ego is probably bound to happen.

And it's just fun. Writing a manuscript is hard. To write and publish a book is my dream and sometimes it's just fun to live in that dream. It's fun to cheer on and be cheered on.

Conclusion:

For me, it's all about juggling the tasks. Sometimes juggling does mean you let go of one thing in favor of another. Maybe you need that time. My goal is just to be mindful with myself and if this post helps someone or saves them a headache, I'm glad.

For more novel writing tips & to stay updated on my novel, follow along @ladylindswrites