Sophomore Writing Syndrome (SWS) is a horrible affliction that affects hundreds, if not thousands of writers every year. This can be a very debilitating affliction, and has led to many other issues for many people over they years.
Causes
Sophomore Writing Syndrome affects about three out of five new writers. The causes of the affliction may very by writer. In most cases, a person finds that they have had praise for their first pieces of work, but the praise quickly tapered off.
The writer starts his or her career with high hopes that a long career of success is ahead. The early praise gives a sense of invincibility. Once that praise wears off, the writer is left with a sense that something is missing, or that he or she failing quickly.
The new writer then begins to wonder if other writers that are jealous have caused the tapering-off of attention. The new writer might think that the company that gave him or the early praise was lying. The writer might also think that the writing market was not a good market to get into since the money is not being offered for the second round of work that was offered for the first.
Some writers will gains Sophomore Writing Syndrome after a piece of early work bombs. This will cause the writer to wonder if he or she was only a one hit wonder in the realm of writing.
Symptoms
The writer will begin to experience a detachment from the work that is being produced. The writer will question if there is a purpose for writing, and if he or she is actually a good writer.
This detachment will then flow into other relationships. As the writer begins to mull over the idea that he or she might be a failure, the writer will then take this frustration on those around them. There are many marriages and friendships that have come to an abrupt end once one party begins to suffer from Sophomore Writing Syndrome.
There have even been extreme cases where someone suffering from Sophomore Writing Syndrome has gained a life-long depression from the worry that he or she has been a failure.
Some of these writers have even gone so far as to commit suicide, as he or she believes that the world is not worth being a part of if one cannot write. There have even been some well-known authors that fell prey to the affliction and ended their life.
Cure
The best way to cure Sophomore Writing Syndrome is to get back out there, and try harder. The writer that is afflicted should find out what it is that he or she could do to improve the newer work.
There has to be a definable reason why there is not as much success now as there was a few weeks or months earlier. The writer needs to find out what needs to be changed to bring the success back to the level that would be appropriate.
Harper Lee once said that, “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career, that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” A thick hide is the greatest defense against Sophomore Writing Syndrome.
