The Will to Write
October 2nd, 2007
The key is finding the will to write. Sometimes I write like a woman possessed for hours on end. Words drench the pages like a summer storm. Other days could be accurately described as a drought.
Sometimes the block sneaks up on you. You start a brand new series with zeal only to have that passion fizzle out a few entries in. Then the block stays just long enough for your inner critic to set up house in the forefront of your mind and tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t even bother writing in the first place. (Most of which seems to begin with, “You don’t know how to start that sentence.”)
But, in learning to fight this internal demon — the block — I’ve discovered there is really only one thing you can do to disarm him: Write. Write a postcard, write a fleeting thought, or write a grocery list. What you write doesn’t matter so much as the fact that you’re writing.
Then, write a little more each day and keep it flowing. And if that demon begins to rear his ugly head again, pick up your sword and cut him deeply with your words.