I'm going to say something very controversial if you're a writer—there's no such thing as writer's block.
There. I said it. And I'll say it again. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS WRITER'S BLOCK.
I am a member of several private writer's groups on Facebook and have been a member of several in-person groups as well. The number one topic that came up both online and in person was, you guessed it—writer's block.
On social media, writers seem to lament daily about this thing they like to call writer's block. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of posts by afflicted writers asking for advice on how to overcome the dreaded syndrome. I've seen all kinds of homeopathic advice, from go for a walk, take a vacation, have a drink, and even walk away from your project for a month.
None of these things, my friends, will help you overcome "writer's block" or help you finish your project.
Writer's block, I believe, is a term used by lazy writers. Yes, I said it. I'll say that again too.
WRITER'S BLOCK IS A TERM USED BY LAZY WRITERS.
Why do I say this?
For one, if you're a writer, you should be writing every day without exception. You may have a daily word count or page count in mind, but you write—everyday. That means, you show up for your writing. You give it weight and worth.
Second, by giving the feeling of being blocked a clinical diagnosis, you make it into a thing. In other words, you make it into something more than it is. Oh no, I have writer's block. Now that you're infected, you have an excuse not to write. And other writers, who are also lazy, will sympathize with your condition and encourage you not to write.
All writer's block is avoiding writing. It's that simple.
Whether you're an outliner or a do-it-on-the-fly kind of writer, most of the time we're not entirely sure what comes next. There's only one way to find out though—WRITE!
No one says you have to love, or even keep, what you write, but write. You may stumble onto something gloriously unexpected. And you may not.
But at least you'll be writing.
You can't properly call yourself a writer unless you're actually putting in the work.
If you have any friends or acquaintances who are actors, think about how many of those people go on maybe one audition a year. Are they really actors? Do you think that they're serious about their craft? How can they expect to book a gig if they're not putting in the work, right?
Same goes for writing.
Write every day. Something.
That's how you overcome writer's block, by not having it in the first place.
Give your writing the respect it deserves by scheduling it into your day.
But I have no time to write! I work 60 hours a week! I have three kids! A spouse! Two jobs!
Life happens, my friends. We all have responsibilities and "day jobs" that hopefully pay the bills and allow us to do the real work of writing.
I've been poor. I ate dog food for six months. I was nearly homeless. No shit.
And I NEVER stopped writing.
When I couldn't afford access to the internet, or after I sold my MacBook Air to keep a roof over my head, I wrote in a ninety-nine-cent marble notebook with a Bic pen.
Decide now what kind of writer you want to be—one who makes excuses or one who writes.
Decide what you're willing to give up to write—happy hour every day, an hour of sleep in the morning, two hours a day less television watching, no more Netflix binges?
What does it look like for you?
If you can see it, you can make it happen. I promise you.
Write every day.
Something will stick.
And while you're busy writing, some lazy writer will be making a Facebook poll about how to deal with writer's block instead of writing.
See you on the other side!
Comments