“Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness.”
I find myself telling writers that all the time.
And to be honest, telling myself, too.
Because the very thing that makes you a good writer is also the very thing that quietly gets in your way.
And that thing is thinking.
Thinking is a writer’s greatest strength.
Most writers, generally speaking, are good thinkers.
And honestly, you have to be.
Whether you’re building a world out of thin air or organizing a mess of thoughts into something coherent, writing demands a brain that sees what others miss.
It’s only by thinking that you see the patterns, the connections, and the ideas hiding in plain sight that others seem to miss, which makes your writing sharp, creative, and original.
But here’s the problem: the very thing that makes you good at writing is also the very thing that gets in your way.
Because thinking easily turns into overthinking.
Overthinking
Overthinking for writers is like playing a game of chess.
Sure, you might see every possible move, every possible outcome, and every way it could go wrong.
And yes, that’s an advantage.
A big one.
But while you’re busy running scenarios in your head, someone else—someone who isn’t even half as thoughtful—is just moving pieces.
And you know what? Sometimes, that wins.
Sometimes, it makes the game more enjoyable too.
Because as writers, we do have good ideas.
Great ideas, even.
But we get stuck there.
And those good ideas?
Stay just that.
Unrealized.
The Balance
What you have to train yourself to do is to find the balance.
Use your brain to your advantage.
Think.
Make the unlikely connections.
That’s what makes your work stand out.
But don’t get stuck in your head.
If something is tripping you up, set a specific amount of time to work on it, then move on.
Sometimes there isn’t a perfect answer.
And that’s ok.
That’s just writing.
But you need to get unstuck so you can put yourself out there.
Because the truth is, writing doesn’t get finished from endless thinking.
It gets finished when you hit publish.
That’s the secret.
Please like, comment, share, and tell me what you think. Do you agree?
These posts of yours are so helpful, thanks for another banger.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your support!
Thank you for this post, finally someone gets it. While writing some story at home i have a strong flow of scenaries, characters ect. but then out of a sudden i start to think about one detail and i cant go on because i overtink and cant write.
I agree! What a great, inspiring post!
I have stopped waiting for perfection. Now, I just self-publish. Is it crap? Maybe. I polish it as much as I can before flinging it upon the world. Hopefully, some of it will stick. Or not. Probably best that it doesn’t. 😉 But my success is defined by my terms now, and not someone else’s. Anyway, inspirational as always. Thanks for this reminder.
Keep publishing my friend! It all stacks!
Thank you. 😊 It is time I put my fingers back on the keyboard- there is so much I have to say!!
Keep writing my friend
Great share. Thanks!
Thanks for the advice, Tony. I’ll give it some thought … 🙂
I see what you did there 😉
😂😂😂
Thank you so much
Great advice tony!
Trukky the one thing that makes us great is the one thing that can destroy us.
I like your post oo.
Thank you so much!!
I was just over thinking how I should comment. LOL – I’m kidding you. You are right, sometimes we just need to sit down and WRITE, not over think, just think enough to get something written.
Still thinking about how I should respond 😉 appreciate you my friend!
I don’t think. I listen. Like music, the stories are out there. It’s our job to be the best vessels possible and stay the hell out of the way. When a “writer” “writes” it’s artificial. When a writer transcribes what they hear? Music happens between the notes. Is just is, if you get me.
Tony, that was a great post. Thank you for taking the time to read the start of my writing. I retired a couple of years ago, and the only thing I’d ever written before were work procedures. One day I just sat down and started, tossed the first few chapters onto another platform, and finally got someone to beta read it. They told me it was good, encouraged me to keep going, and then pointed out every error I’d made. They were right.
So I bore down, started paying closer attention, and realized the very point you made: I tend to overthink. When I do, it feels like quicksand. The harder I struggle with angles and meaning, the deeper I sink.
Your post felt like a rope thrown my way. Thanks for that.
Anthony, I enjoyed this post, it looks like you have been reading my stuff or at least clicked a button or two. Thank you! I’m not sure this post applies to me since I literally only write what I know, but if I were a real writer I think it would be super helpful. Nice to see people out there helping the community.
When I think about it, I think you’re probably right. Overthinking can be a problem. It also took me a long time to understand the solid advice in the expression “Kill your darlings.” Thanks for the good advice.
Love reading your blog. thanks for teaching!
Thanks for reading!!
Great points. But how, she ponders, thinks and contemplates? How do I, me, myself, this uberintellectual overthinker, get unstuck
For me – I thinks it’s just having a time limit on how long you’re allowed to overthink. For example, let’s say you’re working on an intro – and you’re spending 15 minutes rewriting. Just make the conscience decisions that – ok – I don’t know this, I’m going to try move on. Then naturally the right opening will reveal itself imo
trying to subscribe to your blog not sure if I accomplished that or not.
There should be a button on the article side