So It Goes: We All Feel Helpless Sometimes

“When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.” – Kurt Vonnegut

If the feeling described in this quote sounds familiar, you’re not alone. We all feel helpless sometimes when we sit down to write, feeling as though we aren’t going to be able to put down onto the page what we have in our heads. This can be a very debilitating feeling, and can demotivate us to the point that we don’t even try.

But, if we take a moment to reflect, we come to the realisation that everybody feels this way at some time. Remembering that masters of our craft, such as Kurt Vonnegut, have experienced this feeling of helplessness too is very comforting. Despite feeling like this, he was able to overcome his self-doubts and write some of the most influential works of the 20th century, and become one of America’s most celebrated modern authors.

So, how can we overcome our own feelings of helplessness? Let’s look at Vonnegut’s quote again, and turn it into positive ways we can fight through our self-doubts and lack of conviction.

Be Legless

Imagine you actually don’t have any legs. You’re not going to be going very far, are you? But do you need your legs to be able to write? Of course you don’t! So stay where you are and just get writing. I know this has been said before, but it really is one of the best pieces of writing advice out there. When we start writing, magic things usually start to happen. Characters start to come alive and they pull us along, encouraging the writing to happen. You realise that you can write, and you can write some really good stuff. You’ll probably write some rubbish too, definitely if you are working on your first draft, but you can always change this later, can’t you? But if you don’t start writing, nothing will happen. Nothing bad, but nothing good either. So sit down and write. Once you get going, and get into a flow, you will feel less helpless with every word that you write.

Be Armless

You could easily write without your legs, but surely you need your arms to write, yes? Wrong! Take inspiration here from the amazing Jean-Dominique Bauby, author of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He wrote this wonderful book after suffering a stroke that left him with a rare condition called “locked-in syndrome”, in which he become completely and utterly paralysed, but with his brain still working perfectly. He composed the story by blinking his left eyelid, the only part of his body that he could move, communicating with an interpretor who wrote his story down. The power and resilience of the mind to overcome that which restrains us is incredible. Remember this the next time you sit down to write. If you feel hopeless, remember Bauby. Focus on what is in your mind, and get it down any way you can.

Use a Crayon

I’m not going to tell you to try and write with a crayon in your mouth (although if you want to try that, I’m not going to stop you!), but why not write with a crayon in your hand? Buy a packet of cheap wax crayons (or steal some from your children!), pick your favourite colour, and get writing. Enjoy the feel of the stubby crayon in your hand, smell the wax, pick up and new crayon and change colours halfway through a sentence, halfway through a word even! In short, approach your writing in a new, childlike way. Embrace that feeling. Children are not restrained by feelings of helplessness or fear. They don’t exist to them. They just do things. Do the same. You can do it.

Don’t let anything hold you back. Most of our helplessness is simply self-defeating thoughts in our heads, which when tackled in the right way can surely be overcome. Whether your armless- and leglessness is psychological (as with Vonnegut) or actual (in Bauby’s locked-in state), it doesn’t mean that you can’t write. So just sit down, pick up a pen (or crayon) and get writing.

What kind of things do you do to motivate yourself when you feel helpless? Please share your thoughts and any inspiring quotes (reminding us that the literary greats are human too!) in the Comments below.

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