The Struggle of "Writer's Block"

Writer's block: lazy, unmotivated, hungry, exhausted, burnt out, overworked, unrested, uninspired....whatever the underlying cause, "writer's block" is one of the most-written about topics by writers.

How ironic.

But it's because it's so danged illusive. What causes writer's block? Why am I so on fire to write my book at every other time of the day than when I'm sitting at my computer with my open document in front of me?

Why am I filled with such nervous energy at all other times of the day, but as soon as I sit in front of my work, my inspiration bleeds out of me and all I want to do is go lie in bed and watch YouTube videos? Videos of cats. Or food taste testing. I'm a sucker for taste test videos.

You argue with yourself. If I was just stricter with myself, I wouldn't have this problem. I'm just being lazy. And I've definitely had periods of laziness, where getting on a schedule of writing every single day was the only way around my "block." But sometimes strictness is the absolute worst thing you could do.

This summer has been, inexplicably, difficult for my creative self. I've been running a lot more, and it's been brutally hot and humid. And for me to admit that it's been brutally hot is saying something. I'm cold if it's less than 74 degrees in the house. I wear cardigans in summer. But it's been 90s-100s+ since May. So yeah. It's been hot. And when you throw running on top of that, I've felt more than a little metaphorically crisped.

I was feeling incredibly discouraged when I realized it was July and I hadn't started a new book yet. Giant Killer went to my agent early spring. I should have been *right on top of it* with my new project. I had the idea. I knew what I wanted to do.

But it wasn't time. That sounds vague, and it is. And I don't want to always put myself at the mercy of vague feelings. But sometimes you need to give yourself a break. Breathe. Read a book. Watch a movie. Go lie in bed and watch YouTube videos. When that becomes the rule instead of the exception, then you can worry about getting back on track. But for a week? Chill out dude. You're on no timeline but your own.

I want to write a book a year for as long as I possibly can. I've said that before. And so that does impose a certain timeline onto my creativity. I also want to stay ahead of my agent. I don't want him to be waiting around on me too much. I want the next thing in his hands as soon as he's finished working on whatever was "so last season." And that does require a kind of constant vigilance.

But we do this because it's fun, right? Because it feeds our hearts. Because there are stories waiting to spill out onto the page, and they'll bottle up and turn into something other than tears or dreams or wherever untold stories go if we don't release them. I still see vivid colors under every leaf. I still see stories hiding behind the mundane.

So if you're feeling a little crispy, chill. Literally. And figuratively, sure-- ice cream isn't always the solution, but it's certainly never a problem in my household.

I finally got over my own two-month "hump" this week. I was feeling pretty down about my writing. You start to wonder can I even do this anymore? It's not like your ability to write is going to leap up and run away and hide, goose. But then...I stumbled upon something as simple as a new song to listen to while writing. And multiple scenes started bubbling up. I got the revisions to my first chapter done. I started diving into the second chapter. I created two new book covers for my "on deck" books that my agent is working on. I wrote back-cover copy. I organized my files, and backed everything up, and did some more research.

And I'm excited about this new story. It's going to do things I've never tried before. It's going to be beautiful and light and yet dark and eerie and sad and tragic and it's already made me laugh, and I know it can make me cry if I go far enough. Do you ever see the color of the feel of a book? I know that sound lyrical and poetic. Sue me. This book is like the night sky. Or it could be. And I hope it's not just that way for me. I want it to be like the Milky Way for all of you.

So, back to chapter 2. Go eat some ice cream.