Can Writing Make You Feel Suffocated Instead of Free?

Writing is a form of self-expression like no other. With words, we can create worlds never seen before and create characters that will live with us forever. We can be a vampire or a werewolf or a wizard, create entire realms like Middle Earth or the world of Harry Potter. With writing we should have absolute and complete freedom with what we say, what we create, and the messages we want to send. But when you think about it, can we really say we have freedom with our writing? Can writing really make us free or can it suffocate us without us realizing it?

I had this realization yesterday while in my Creative Writing class. I had originally thought this class would mean creative and artistic freedom for me, a chance to write what I want without fear of judgment or someone questioning my every word. Turns out, I was wrong. I can understand the professor asking me what kind of writer I want to be because I think that is an important question for every writer to know the answer to (at least in someway), but to question why I would choose one piece over another to perform just because she thinks the subject might not convey the right message or because she thinks another piece is better, it really makes me question if there truly is freedom to writing… because I have never felt more suffocated with my writing than I have over the past few months.

And no one should feel that way when it comes to their writing because writing is a beautiful thing. Writing is a beautiful and pure expression of our thoughts and feelings. It’s the closest to making magic we will ever get (I think that’s a Stephen King quote, but I can’t remember for sure) and it should be the one thing in our lives that make us feel free and happy, but I haven’t felt free and happy with my writing in a long while.

So my question for all of you is- Have you ever felt suffocated with your writing? Has there ever been a moment when you felt like writing wasn’t as free as you thought? Also, if you’ve ever felt suffocated by your writing, how did you break free from that feeling? I’m interested to see all your responses to these questions!