I believe I have firmly established myself as a writer. After all, I have been successfully blogging on this blog for almost a full year now. I have been a published author since 2007 and have written an entire series based around the Realm of Original Magic and the Portals. I have been writing since I was little. I have written a number of articles and have done more than a few stories that can be found all over the internet.
But between the imposter syndrome I often fight with and others that still doubt me and make snap judgements about me without even reading anything I have written, I deal with a great deal of issues when it comes to writing. But in my opinion, one of the hardest things a writer has to deal with I often deal with is writer’s block.
Anyone who has written anything, be it a paper for a class, a story, a blog, or even a letter will tell you that writer’s block is one of the hardest things to overcome. One stares at the paper or screen, wishing words to form, but yet nothing comes to mind. Or worse yet, the wrong kind of words come to mind, as anything but what one needs to work on pops into one’s mind.
I could wait for inspiration to strike again. But here’s the thing; while great deal of writing comes from inspiration, it’s not the only thing that helps any writer write. If I were to wait only for some sort of muse to happen, I would not have written most of my stories or many of the posts here in this blog. Ninety percent of writing, if not more, is pure determination and grit. You must put words on paper to actually begin writing anything. And you must be prepared to edit often.
Even still, I sometimes just stare at the screen, lamenting the fact that words won’t form. It’s a frustration that I have. Words won’t flow, the steam I have built up creating these sentences just seems to fizzle, and the train of thought slows to a crawl, if not an abrupt stop. It’s in these moments that I find myself grasping at straws as I try my best to find a crack in the block.
Sometimes, I turn my computer off and have a fit about how I can’t write and i am a fraud. More often than not, I step away. The other half will find me playing with the cats, or reading a book, or playing a game on my kindle or computer and ask me if I am still trying to write. Sometimes, I go for walks or hop in the shower, letting the movement of my steps or the hot water pull the ideas from me. Sometimes, it works wonders. Other times, it fails miserably.
But I persist. It’s what I do. It’s what any writer should do. Because not having inspiration all of the time is part of the magic of being a writer. Being able to persist and hone the craft despite the negativity from others and self-doubts makes one stronger. It makes one a better writer.
It also can lead to new stories and new writings, for the imagination, when left to rest for a bit in a block, can churn out wonderful new ideas.
So keep writing your stories, my friends, both on paper and the stories of your lives. Find the magic in the words. Find the moments in the writer’s blocks, even when they frustrate you.
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K. S. Wood Writes 