Do you know what I’m supposed to be doing right now?
Sitting in the basement of a church participating in a free write during my community writing group—spinning a short piece of fiction using tonight’s prompt.
Do you know what I’m actually doing right now?
Well, I was flip flopping between computer tabs & half-finished stories. Now I’m just giving up and dumping my thoughts into this blog post.
I am not the first writer to ever write about Writer’s Block, and I will not be the last. Writer’s Block plagues everyone at one time or another (or so I tell myself). The problem with me is Writer’s Block visits me pretty often—the well is almost always dry. I think this is why sometimes I’m able to write a story within 1-2 days; I get so excited at the idea of even HAVING a story that I must capture it on paper before it leaves me forever.
Part of being a writer is letting go with your obsession to create and just living your life (…or so I tell myself.) Opening yourself up and taking everything in. Noticing the small glances of strangers, or the way your friends interact with one another. The body language of old lovers; the body language of new. The way people never actually say what they mean to say. It’s about allowing yourself to feel your excitement, your anxiety, your pain, your love.
Living. Then bottling it up. Then turning it into words.
It’s hard, because sometimes I feel like my time is running out (*everyone older than me please roll your eyes and tell me I’m overreacting now*). The thing about Writer’s Block is it really makes me feel like I’ll never write again. The gap between the last story I created and now feels oceans wide, galaxies deep… and ever growing.
But lucky for me, I know that patience is another part of being a writer. So, friends, be patient with me. One day I will defeat Writer’s Block, but today is not that day.
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Two good things—I am finishing this blog post, which counts as writing! And I’m doing so while basking in the warm glow of the summer sunset. So, while I may not always have fun writing ideas, I will at least always have sunsets.
Paige Gardner 