How is your writing going?

It doesn’t seem like such an intimidating question, but every time I hear that question from a friend or family member I cringe.  “So how’s the writing going?” Should I answer truthfully that writing is so much harder than I realized?  Should I share with them that I have so many great story ideas, but I struggle to get the words onto the paper (or actually onto the screen since most of my writing is on my lap top)?  Should I tell them about the self-doubt that creeps in when I re-read my story and wonder if anyone will actually enjoy my work? 

It seems like an innocent question, but it brings up all my insecurities about my new ‘writing career’.  I spend time writing each day, but sometimes writing a short blog post is all that I am able to accomplish.  Some days my fingers fly over the keys and I look at my word count with pride. 

I have three actual works-in-progress, it may seem a bit scattered, but that is how my brain works. 

·      I am working on my historical fiction young adult story about the Spanish Flu epidemic.  I have a great outline and I am about one third of the way through.  This is the story that feels flat to me, so I get ‘stuck’ because I want to bring more out of the characters.  I need to just push through and get my first draft finished, so I can edit and refine the story.

·      I have my first draft completed of another historical fiction story about World War II, but its disjointed and frankly I’m just not sure it is a story I am ready to work on and release. 

·      I recently started a fun contemporary romance with a football theme.  Spending so much time watching football with my husband gave me the idea for the story.  It is cute and fun to write, I am already 5,000 words into that story and it feels fun and upbeat, the perfect antidote to the somewhat more serious historical fiction stories I have been working on.

·      I also have ideas for at least two other non-fictions books (including outlines) and I have two more historical fiction ideas brewing as well. 

It’s hard to truthfully answer, “How’s the writing going?” because I have incredible ideas that I am excited about, and I am working hard to get all of these stories out of my head and onto paper, I am encouraged to have made progress on these projects, but I know I still have a long way to go.