Writing Is Hard But You’re Still a Writer

By J.E. Nickerson | Wise Thinkers Help Desk

There’s a sentence I wish more people said out loud:

Writing is hard.

Not in the “oh, it’s so exhausting to think of words” way that people sometimes joke about.

I mean the deep, soul-level difficulty of showing up for something that feels like it demands pieces of you you’re not sure you can give. Writing requires you to dig deeply into your soul and question things about yourself or share things about yourself that are often difficult to articulate. 

Writing requires you to not only trust your voice and your vision, but also to interest them to the eyes of complete strangers. 

But the difficulty isn’t proof that you’re failing. It’s proof that you’re doing the work.

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1. The Myth of the Effortless Writer

There’s a romantic image of the writer who wakes up with a perfect sentence floating in their mind, pours coffee, and types a masterpiece without a second thought. That’s not reality for most of us — and frankly, it shouldn’t be the goal.

Good writing doesn’t pour out of you like water from a faucet.

It’s more like carving stone — messy, slow, and sometimes a little painful.

If you’re writing doesn’t pull something out of you and cause you to connect with what you’re saying and feel the message in your heart, then it probably won’t resonate with your audience either. 

You wrestle with doubt.

You question if your idea matters.

You worry you’re wasting your time.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone — you’re in the company of every writer who’s ever cared about their craft.

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2. Hard ≠ Hopeless

Here’s the thing: just because writing feels hard doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

It means you’re thinking. It means you care about the quality of your work. Writing that makes your audience feel something will cost make you feel something. It may be scary and emotionally draining, but every word you write every sentence will resonate with your audience. They will see you through the words you write. 

When you hit a wall, it’s easy to tell yourself:

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe real writers don’t struggle like this.”

But the opposite is true — real writers struggle exactly like this.

The process you’re in — the false starts, the rewrites, the late nights, the deleting and starting over — is the process that makes the finished work worth reading.

When I’m writing an article I rarely go from start to finish with a perfect draft the first time. I’m usually juggling family responsibilities, classes, personal issues or trying to think about what needs to be referenced in order to make the message of my article relevant to my audience. 

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3. Your Identity Isn’t Measured by Ease

We live in a culture that values speed and output. You’ll see authors post about writing a book in 30 days, and it can feel like you’re lagging behind if you can’t do the same.

But being a writer isn’t about hitting word counts faster than anyone else.

It’s about committing to the work, even when it resists you. Writing is about touching other people’s lies with your words. 

You’re a writer because you write.

You’re a writer because you care enough to wrestle with words.

You’re a writer because you keep showing up — not because it’s easy, but because it matters.

While I prefer to spend a few hours in the morning writing and working on my website, often my articles are worked on between work, breaks by grabbing my phone and speaking into my dictation app. The point is that sometimes writing is not a straight line from A to B. It requires us to find pockets of time to connect with our voice and our work while we manage other requirements in our life. 

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4. What to Do When Writing Feels Impossible

Here are a few practical ways to keep going when the difficulty feels overwhelming:

• Break the work into smaller steps. Write one scene. One paragraph. Even one sentence.

• Change your environment. A new setting can shake loose stuck thoughts.

• Write something messy on purpose. Give yourself permission to write badly so you can rewrite brilliantly later.

• Step away to refill. Sometimes your brain needs input — music, a walk, or conversation — before it can give output.

• Remind yourself why you started. Your “why” is the anchor that will keep you from drifting away when things get rough.

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5. The Quiet Victory

Every time you face down the blank page and write something — even if it’s not perfect — you’ve done something remarkable. You’ve taken an invisible thought and brought it into the world.

That’s what writers do.

That’s what you’re doing.

So yes, writing is hard. But so is anything worth doing.

And as long as you keep putting one word after another, you are — and always will be — a writer.

Still looking for encouragement for your writing journey? Read the following articles for support along the writing journey. 

➡️Staying Focused on Your Writing When Life Feels Overwhelming

➡️5 Evening Affirmations for Writers: Reflect, Reset, and Reignite Your Creativity ✨🖋️5 Evening Affirmations for Writers: Reflect, Reset, and Reignite Your Creativity ✨🖋️

📘 Working on your characters? Don’t forget the end goal: sharing your finished book. My self-publishing guide walks you through how to build your platform and prepare for publication — even if you’re just starting out. Check it out here.

📚 And if you’re new here, I’m J.E. Nickerson — faith based author and inspirational storyteller. You can check out my books here or follow me on YouTube for more inspiration and encouragement on this writing life.