Writing has been really difficult for me lately. Not knowing what to write about has lead me to have zero motivation to write anything at all, which has consequently had an impact on my friends and fellow writers of Her Campus DePaul.
The truth is, I have convinced myself that nothing I have to say has any value. I know that’s dark; just hear me out.
When I told this to a friend, he pointed something out to me: The internet is full of people constantly giving their opinions about everything. People are told that they have to have an opinion on everything, that you can’t not have an opinion or be neutral.
Certain things in life I believe we need to have a stance on, especially if it pertains to our or others wellbeing in society, like some of the social issues that we are now talking about in today’s world.
But that’s not the case for the more trivial things in life, like pop culture or hobbies. I am a dedicated Star Wars fan. Much of the discourse in the Star Wars fan community for the past year has been about The Last Jedi, the latest film in the Star Wars saga. The movie caused a divide in the fan group like nothing I had ever seen or heard of before. There are people who vehemently hate the movie and those that love it. I am among the latter group but have still seen discussion and comments from the first group.
One thing many people say is that “the writing is terrible.” In all honesty, I am never sure what to say in response. I liked the movie’s plotline and how the characters were portrayed, and that’s the extent to which I feel like I can talk about what I think of the movie’s writing. I am no screenwriter. While I have a general idea about what makes good characters in movies and TV shows, simply from being the viewer, I don’t think I could really write a strong character and storyline for a blockbuster movie. There’s a reason not everyone in the world is a successful filmmaker.
My point is, there are a lot of things in life that I don’t feel I have enough knowledge or perspective to write about. So what about the things that I do know about? When it comes to writing about things for college women, I don’t feel like my life is any more unique than the next person.
What makes my writing worth reading? What makes any of my experiences something that others want to read? I’m still trying to figure it out.
I know I have value, I really do. But translating that into creativity in the form of writing or art requires a whole other level of vulnerability and confidence that comes in waves for me.
Sometimes, I want to write about something but don’t think that it’s something that anyone wants to hear about. We’re a society that’s always trying to appeal to our audience, whether it’s out readers, followers, or viewers. If you’re not getting more and more clicks, likes, and comments, you’re not doing it right. I want so badly to reject this, but it’s really hard when it’s built into everything we do, including writing articles for Her Campus.
So ultimately, I’m trying to find my footing on writing what I want to that others want to read while learning to recognize the value that writing has. I may not be there yet, but I’m trying, and I have hope for the future.