So, in order to be a writer, you have to write. I think we can all agree on this.
I mean, I have met people who claim to be a writer but they never write. If you are one of these people, then I think you need to find a blog about delusional people and how to move past all of that mess. Then come back here. Because guess what? If you don't write, then you aren't a writer?
And I don't care if you had a short story published back in 2004 and it was shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize. If you don't write regularly - right now, at this space in your life - then you are NOT a writer.
So, just start writing, at least a few times a week. And then, you can call yourself a writer. Easy enough, right?
Well, starting writing can be an absolute nightmare. Believe me I know. There is fear of churning out crap. There is lack of inspiration, lack of motivation, and even lack of ideas. Sometimes, there's even a lack of time. There are hundreds of other reasons, too.
Sometimes we take these reasons and we claim to have writer's block. The dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK.
On some writing forums, and even in some blogs, it's spoken about in hushed voices. People make it sound like it's some fatal disease.
Well, I'm hear to tell you: It's not that bad. In fact, it's all a bunch of crap. Seriously, it is.
Writer's block does not exist. It doesn't. Not in the real world anyway. Perhaps it's exists in your mind. I don't know. But in the real world it's nothing but a made-up curse. It is nothing more than the Beastie in Lord of the Flies. Writer's block is only as real as you allow it to be.
Let me repeat that: Writer's block is only as real as you allow it to be.
I've been writing for almost 30 years and I have never once had writer's block. Not once! Sure, there have been plenty of times when I had trouble getting started. Tons of times when I couldn't think of what I wanted to write next in a story or how I wanted to write it. But it was all about me. I was in control.
So, that is my first piece of advice for you to beat writer's block.
Remember YOU are in control.
It's absolutely true. You aren't writing because of writer's block. You aren't able to think of a great way to write a scene or a perfect way to end a story because you have writer's block. It's not writer's block that's stopping you from finishing that 90,000 work book. It is you. You are stopping you.
You are scared, or maybe uninspired, or maybe too tired. The words too write just won't come to you. It's all about you! Not some made-up, way over-hyped condition. It's you! As annoying as they may be, it's also great. Because it means you have the power. So, stop making excuses.
And let's be clear about something else:Writer's block has nothing to do with mystical "Muse" comng to visit.
Now, I do believe in the Muse. To be honest: If I didn't believe in her, I wouldn't admit it If I did I'd be afraid she'd get mad and never return to me. And that would be very bad.
But my experience has been that she only visits when she wants to. And she usually doesn't want to make an appearance until I've put in a lot of hard work writing. And then she floats in and I hit that sweet spot of writing, and for a few minutes in life, I feel that I'm not only a writer, but I just might be a decent writer.
But you can't wait for the Muse to come. I mean, you can. But if you do then you are a waiter and not a writer.
And this brings me to my second piece and most important nugget of advice for stopping writer's block:
If you can't find a door, break a window.
Too often people get caught just before starting writing. Once they start, the words slowly start to trickle out and before they know it the faucet is wide open and they are writing.
There's no reason to be afraid you'll write something bad. So what if you do? Nobody is going to read it anyway. Not until you read it again ad decide if you want to change it. When you're writing you have a free pass to write something that is horrible because it's very easy hold down a delete button.
And if you can't think of what to write or exactly how you want to write it, then just start writing. Write anything. Again, you can always change it later. And just the act of writing will get the creative juices flowing and might just give you new idea. And again, you don't have to keep what you wrote. We aren't chipping anything into stone here. So, just write. And only care about the very words you're writing while you're writing. Nothing else should matter at that moment.
If you can't get started. Just get started. And if it's not the easy and beautiful beginning you were hoping for, then make it a mess of a beginning. If you can't find a door to walk into your writing, then break a freaking window and climb right over the broken glass and step onto your writing. If you cut yourself on a shard of glass on your way in, who cares? Bleed all over your writing, too. Make an absolute mess of all of it.
The crazy thing that I find is, whether I feel inspired or not, my writing is all about the same. Sometimes I feel like I'm flying through an open blue sky and words are all being whispered into my ear by the Muse. Other times I feel like I'm caught in quicksand and just trying to pull myself out. But when I go back and read what I wrote, I can never tell how I was feeling when I wrote something. It all sounds the same.
So, I've stopped worrying about how I feel when I'm about to write. And you should too.
Just write. Stop worrying about overcoming writer's block. And stop waiting for some divine inspiration. Just write, write, write (and then edit later - but we'll talk about that at another time).
And for the love of all things that are holy, stop trying to solve writer's block. It can't be solved because it doesn't exist.You aren't supposed to solve it. All you need to do is write.
So, what are you waiting for?
I mean, I have met people who claim to be a writer but they never write. If you are one of these people, then I think you need to find a blog about delusional people and how to move past all of that mess. Then come back here. Because guess what? If you don't write, then you aren't a writer?
And I don't care if you had a short story published back in 2004 and it was shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize. If you don't write regularly - right now, at this space in your life - then you are NOT a writer.
So, just start writing, at least a few times a week. And then, you can call yourself a writer. Easy enough, right?
Well, starting writing can be an absolute nightmare. Believe me I know. There is fear of churning out crap. There is lack of inspiration, lack of motivation, and even lack of ideas. Sometimes, there's even a lack of time. There are hundreds of other reasons, too.
Sometimes we take these reasons and we claim to have writer's block. The dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK.
On some writing forums, and even in some blogs, it's spoken about in hushed voices. People make it sound like it's some fatal disease.
Well, I'm hear to tell you: It's not that bad. In fact, it's all a bunch of crap. Seriously, it is.
Writer's block does not exist. It doesn't. Not in the real world anyway. Perhaps it's exists in your mind. I don't know. But in the real world it's nothing but a made-up curse. It is nothing more than the Beastie in Lord of the Flies. Writer's block is only as real as you allow it to be.
Let me repeat that: Writer's block is only as real as you allow it to be.
I've been writing for almost 30 years and I have never once had writer's block. Not once! Sure, there have been plenty of times when I had trouble getting started. Tons of times when I couldn't think of what I wanted to write next in a story or how I wanted to write it. But it was all about me. I was in control.
So, that is my first piece of advice for you to beat writer's block.
Remember YOU are in control.
It's absolutely true. You aren't writing because of writer's block. You aren't able to think of a great way to write a scene or a perfect way to end a story because you have writer's block. It's not writer's block that's stopping you from finishing that 90,000 work book. It is you. You are stopping you.
You are scared, or maybe uninspired, or maybe too tired. The words too write just won't come to you. It's all about you! Not some made-up, way over-hyped condition. It's you! As annoying as they may be, it's also great. Because it means you have the power. So, stop making excuses.
And let's be clear about something else:Writer's block has nothing to do with mystical "Muse" comng to visit.
Now, I do believe in the Muse. To be honest: If I didn't believe in her, I wouldn't admit it If I did I'd be afraid she'd get mad and never return to me. And that would be very bad.
But my experience has been that she only visits when she wants to. And she usually doesn't want to make an appearance until I've put in a lot of hard work writing. And then she floats in and I hit that sweet spot of writing, and for a few minutes in life, I feel that I'm not only a writer, but I just might be a decent writer.
But you can't wait for the Muse to come. I mean, you can. But if you do then you are a waiter and not a writer.
And this brings me to my second piece and most important nugget of advice for stopping writer's block:
If you can't find a door, break a window.
Too often people get caught just before starting writing. Once they start, the words slowly start to trickle out and before they know it the faucet is wide open and they are writing.
There's no reason to be afraid you'll write something bad. So what if you do? Nobody is going to read it anyway. Not until you read it again ad decide if you want to change it. When you're writing you have a free pass to write something that is horrible because it's very easy hold down a delete button.
And if you can't think of what to write or exactly how you want to write it, then just start writing. Write anything. Again, you can always change it later. And just the act of writing will get the creative juices flowing and might just give you new idea. And again, you don't have to keep what you wrote. We aren't chipping anything into stone here. So, just write. And only care about the very words you're writing while you're writing. Nothing else should matter at that moment.
If you can't get started. Just get started. And if it's not the easy and beautiful beginning you were hoping for, then make it a mess of a beginning. If you can't find a door to walk into your writing, then break a freaking window and climb right over the broken glass and step onto your writing. If you cut yourself on a shard of glass on your way in, who cares? Bleed all over your writing, too. Make an absolute mess of all of it.
The crazy thing that I find is, whether I feel inspired or not, my writing is all about the same. Sometimes I feel like I'm flying through an open blue sky and words are all being whispered into my ear by the Muse. Other times I feel like I'm caught in quicksand and just trying to pull myself out. But when I go back and read what I wrote, I can never tell how I was feeling when I wrote something. It all sounds the same.
So, I've stopped worrying about how I feel when I'm about to write. And you should too.
Just write. Stop worrying about overcoming writer's block. And stop waiting for some divine inspiration. Just write, write, write (and then edit later - but we'll talk about that at another time).
And for the love of all things that are holy, stop trying to solve writer's block. It can't be solved because it doesn't exist.You aren't supposed to solve it. All you need to do is write.
So, what are you waiting for?
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