Writer's block. What's that all about?
Writer's block is a thing. I just don't think it's actually writer's block.
I get it now.
Why the terminology 'writer's block' came to light in the first place.
It's not the fact that you simply don't know what to write. It's so much more that. It's the fear of not getting it right. It's sitting down and thinking: "What is the point of all of this?"
Am I going crazy? Why am I spending so much time in front of a computer? I call myself a writer, but what do I have to show for that?
I am not an actual story-writer, but with the constant article writing here at WA, I am starting to understand how they feel. They sit down and write this book they have in their head, it may take them months or years to finish it, and they have no idea how the public will react to this massive part of their life.
We do crazy stuff for our passion.
Wouldn't it be much simpler to become a teacher or a secretary or whatever, just go to work and come home, and be sure of a monthly income until you retire?
Um yes, of course it would.
But you can't, because that's not who you are. You are writer. You have a burning passion inside of you telling you that THIS is what you were born to do, and giving up would be crazy.
What does this have to do with WA?
I think it has everything to do with WA.
Kyle recently posted that there are 1.9 million of us on this site. Why are we here?
Probably because of passion.
We have a message to share, and we needed a platform to do that. We didn't want a 9-5 job that requires us to be away from our families for weeks on end. There can't be anything wrong with wanting to do things a little differently, can there?
I always knew that I wanted do write about food, and I always knew that I would be much better working for myself, because I would push myself much harder.
And it's happening, I can feel it happening. I am learning to understand affiliate marketing, I am enjoying my website and I am actually even getting an organic comment here and there.
My website launched 5 July 2019.
It's not even three months old yet, and I can see how far it has come already.
What's my problem then?
Impatience, I guess.
I knew I needed to be patient when I started this, but I think I just have so much faith that it will work out that I am starting to stress now and thinking: "what if it doesn't?"
What if I never make a single sale?
I know it's stupid, I can see how great people are doing that stick it out for the long haul. So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided we need a few tips to get over this so-called writer's block.
How to get over writer's block:
1. Write drunk, edit sober.
I can't remember who said that, but they were onto something. It's the same principle that Stephen King works on when writing his novels.
He says that he decides he needs to write 10 pages or whatever a day, and then he does just that. He has written entire novels in 3 months that way!
So, he didn't stress about the technicalities while writing, he wrote drunk. Later, all the editing was done, and he saved months and months of self-doubt by just sitting down and WRITING.
Cool, right?
2. Screw all the self-doubt and critics.
Of course there are going to be critics telling you that you can't do this. Because if you do, you will have succeeded and their mindset will then need to change.
There is nothing as uncomfortable as a forced mindset change.
Most people criticize things they don't understand, your job is simply to remember that it has nothing to do with how they feel about you, and everything to do with how they feel about themselves.
3. Don't give up.
There is a reason why the yearly membership is so important here at WA. It's because if you have stuck it out and worked hard for a whole year, there is no way you would give up a thriving business after that.
So I know that WA is onto something. Give yourself and your new business a year. Try everything you possibly can in that year. Fail in that year.
Just do not give up.
You will thank yourself in a year.
Thanks for reading.
I love the blogs here at WA, I turn to it when I am feeling overwhelmed, because I know all of us have moments of self-doubt, and the people on here tend to be understanding.
WA is judgment free zone, as far as I have seen. I love that.
So, if you have read along, thank you, and good luck to you.
Lize
Recent Comments
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Hi Lize. Writers blog is really just a state of mind. When ever I feel that I can't write I do research and idea searching instead. You're spot on in saying that we need to ignore self doubt and our critics. If humanity listened to all those people that said it couldn't be done we would still be in the middle ages. Jim
Hi Jim!
Thank you for the advice, I am going to try that. I couldn't agree more, we can only go forward :)
Have a great day!
Congratulations on launching and developing your website! Not many get so far in just a few months.
Reading about "your problem", I don't think you're alone - everyone with a new website goes through it, only to be rewarded after they stick to their posting routine.
I have found that the best thing to do when faced with writer's block is to start typing on a blank screen, or writing with a pen and notepad. I realized that writer's block is just another form of procrastination and starting to write gets rid of it immediately. But when I get going I find it difficult to stop!
I've managed to write several thousand words in a day by just finding words to start with. But not many days in a row, life gets in the way.
You're spot on when you said that WA blogs are a good place to come to, at least better than Facebook!
I'll leave you with an interesting quote by Charles Bukowski, "Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all." :-)
Wish you good luck too, and lots of successes with your website!
Hi there!
Your quote made me laugh out loud, I knew there was a reason that I actually spent time writing about writer's block today!
Thank you for the inspiration, I'm feeling better already :)
All the best for you as well, if you inspire this well in comments, I'm sure your website will be a massive success.
Thanks for joining my network. Good luck!
Lize
Hey Lize,
Thanks for the compliment, and I am glad that my words made sense. :-)
You write very well, so then it's only the writer's block that might come in the way of success a.k.a procrastination lol.
I use Calmy Writer which gives me a blank screen to type anything on, and then I keep typing for a long time, helping me do a lot of work. I've written books, and articles and reviews for clients for a couple of years. I had to find a way to kill writer's block early on, so I speak from experience.
I also keep a notebook in which I write every day, that helps in a lot of ways, writer's block being only one small reason. Google for jounaling and you'll read about its benefits, especially if you make it a habit - it actually helps you form some great habits. Actually it's a great niche, if anyone wants to take it up!
I do hope you find this useful. Thanks again, and have a great day!
Manoj
Hi Manoj.
Thank you for the great advice. I think an organized mind can get a lot of things done, so I'm thinking I need to keep a journal and plan my articles for the long term.
I struggle to do this some days because my job gets in the way, but I think practice will make perfect. I am hoping I can do this more full time in the future.
Thank you for the compliment on my writing, I can only hope to get as well oiled with it as you clearly are. It's great that you have so much experience, I will definitely be using your tips to get past my "block".
Have a great day!
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Well I've not tried to write while flat out drunk. Haven't been flat out drunk since my fraternity days. But I'll admit to writing over a glass of wine or two. I call it buzz writing, and you know it works.
Of course ... this after I've done all my keyword research and roughed out an outline. Yea it needs to be edited ... sometimes more than once. But it feels so good to get it out and into a document. That's when writing becomes real and it's a great feeling.