Hello everyone! I hope you all had a safe, sane, and fun 4th of July. I want to thank you to all those who have reached out to me. Thank you for the well wishes and the support. Just a few of you, but that really does help remind me to make time to write, even just a little, so thank you!
My family and I made it to our destination (with some, uh, excitement with a blowout in the middle of a "no services for a 100 miles" area). It's been HOT!!! Even my cactus is wilting! Been inside unpacking, and I had a thought about writer's block.
I feel like there's 2 kinds. There's "content writer's block" and "emotional writer's block." I think most people think of the first rather than the latter when they hear "Writer's Block." But, as I've gotten better over the past couple of years at dealing with that aspect of writer's block, I've realized I think of it less as a "blockage" and more of an obstacle. A "writer's wall," more like. It makes the idea more approachable. I only need to figure out how to scale the wall. Sometimes, a brilliant spark will equip me with a pole to vault over that sucker. Other times, it's a slow climb up steep stairs that vanish into the darkness ahead. Every time I look around, I get better at noticing my tools to get over. Just... start. I found a grappling hook by writing a whole chapter of almost nonsense and then wrote it over, but at least the first writing gave me ideas to expand on, and I wasn't just waiting for "inspiration." Thus, less of a blockage, which kind of puts this idea of needing force to push through it. As authors, words are important, right? A block needs aggressive measures. That idea of "explosive" creation rather than a wall that can be scaled with one word after the other.
As for the emotional side of writer's block, well, more of a writer's "closet." It's a little different than the wall. Sometimes, you gotta find the door to get out of the closet so you can go sit at your desk. But, sometimes, the closet is simply cozy. I'm tired, folks. I'm drained. I'm just in my closet. This time, it's not a matter of having to find the door, it's a matter of just not ready to leave. I'm gonna rest a little more. I'm writing my ideas on occasion, but they don't make coherent chapters right now. I'm just tired.
So, those are my thoughts on the subject. Maybe some of you have different ways of looking at it. I will update when I'm ready to start posting. Until then, I wish you all well for now.