Writer's Block: The Myth

As Chuck Wendig, my very favorite unconventional, crass, irreverent  but still somehow motivational writing guy has said many times, Writer's Block Does NOT exist.  (Great NaNo blog post here).

You can be blocked. Everybody gets blocked. But it’s not special. It’s not unique to writers. It doesn’t deserve its name or the credit it receives. More importantly, it isn’t a physical thing — it isn’t a gorilla with a croquet mallet who smashes your hand every time you reach for the keyboard. You can get past it. You think past it. You write past it. You kick it in the teeth and step over its twitching body.

I have days when I don't want to work.  Work being the food court where I served up hot dogs, or worked in the coffee bar, or the service desk helping people return stuff.  Or writing.  It doesn't matter...  You don't want to work sometimes.  That's okay.

But it's not an excuse to hide behind.  If you are stuck, that's okay.  Do research, write your way out of it.  Or move to another part of your story and come back to it.  But don't use it as an excuse.

"I can't write, I have writer's block."  Um, no.  You're choosing to let your situation dictate your actions.

YOU are in control of yourself.  If you want to write, you will write.  You might still be stuck at the end of your writing, and that happens sometimes.  Research, ask questions to help figure out your problem, get help if you must.  But if you use being stuck as an excuse to give up?  I have no pity for you.

Sorry, but I don't.  You can do this.  You have the power.  You are allowed to change your mind or change the story and fix your problem so it isn't a problem anymore.

I'm not saying to delete.  No.  Strike through.  Keep that word count, you might need those words later (either for the almighty word count, or for your awesome way of putting the words in a certain order right there).  But work around it.  Find your way out.

Your story might be a maze...  but it's not a box with no exit.  Work for it, damn it!  Prove to yourself you CAN do it.  Because you can.  *nod*

Oh goodness, I've been busy!

Coffee time is thinking time...  My work schedule for the "real job" has changed quite a bit lately, so I've been home only while my kids are here.  Which makes it so much more difficult for the writing.  I write best in the morning, not at night.  I'm up at night and can continue writing then if I'm on a roll, don't get me wrong, but the best thinking time is when I can pause when stuck and gaze out at a blustery day, watch the drizzle smattering upon the pavement...  watch the squirrel from my front tree digging and burying lord knows what out in my front yard.


At night, there's nothing to look at but the dark.  There are just enough lights on in the neighborhood to prevent stargazing (lame!!) or that could be pretty cool.


I dunno, there's just something about morning writing with a cup of coffee and a bowl of steel cut oats with fruit & nut trail mix (cinnamon and brown sugar too, of course) that makes for happy writing time.


And during that time of day, I've been at work.  Yay for a job that pays me more than $45 a month like Amazon, don't get me wrong...  but it's not what I want to be doing with my time.  If you know what I mean.  And if you're browsing my boring little blog here, you probably do.


Anyway!  So NaNoWriMo is creeping up and I'm shelving my current big project for it.  Last year, I tried to work on that book again, and I got absolutely nowhere.  Not that I didn't know where it was going, but it was an old project.  And old projects don't have the excitement and enthusiasm that a new ones do.  (tense slip!  Saw and fixed before I published...  win!)


SO, this time I'm going to start something I've had in the back of my mind for a while.  Never started, never wrote character sketches for it, no synopsis or outline.  I need to get on that before November hits, so I have direction.  All I'm going to say is it's my story about a little girl whose only friend lives in the mirror...  Something I came up with as a mini ode to my childhood, where I was the only girl in the neighborhood within walking distance.  I used to pretend...


But that's all for now.  If you're doing NaNoWriMo this year, DO NOT FORGET TO PLAN!!!  It will make the difference between rambling for pages and pages (Like I did my first time around!  Editing hell, let me tell you!) and having somewhere to step forward to when you find yourself stuck.


Also, remember:  writer's block is a LIE!!!  It does not exist.  No more than painter's block, retail cashier block, homework block, or phone customer service representative block exists.  Every job has its hard parts.  Don't think you're special just because you're a writer.  Look at your notes.  Step forward.  Fill in the blanks later if you must.  Don't let the "don't wanna write"s beat you!  YOU are better than that.


Don't let it win.  *nod.*