Ask the Author: Wendy Potocki
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Wendy Potocki
Hi Cintia -- Sorry I didn't see your message before this.
Writing is the best way to solve your problem. I know, I know, you just said that you can't write, that you're blocked, but you asked a question, right? To do that, you wrote down the question and posted it. So just sit down and write something else -- a story you want to work on for instance.
I'm betting that you initially stopped yourself from writing. It happens when we're trying to be too perfect, or find just the right word. Every time you stop yourself, you're building a wall. It's why I never do that the first time around. I just get the story down.
So force yourself write a paragraph. It can be the most godawful paragraph anyone has ever written, but it'll be a start. Save that in a .doc and open it the next day. Very important: save the .doc and make it a second version. Fear of losing what we write by making changes also stops us sometimes. That's a big thing for me. It's why each time I write, I save it as another version. I feel safe that if I want to go back to another version, I can.
At this point, if you want to edit the paragraph, go ahead. It'll get your feet wet and in the mood to write the second paragraph. Remember, just let it go. Don't get your critical mind involved in the process. Oh, and if you get dialogue between characters or an ending, write it down. Don't be concerned with going out of order. You'll get it sorted out, but when you get dialogue, an idea, a description of a scene, always write it down.
So don't judge yourself ... don't expect anything to be perfect the first time around. It's like keeping an eagle on a leash and expecting it to soar. Can't be done. And if keep that eagle tethered long enough, you're actually training it to stay on the ground. It means when you take the leash off, it'll just sit there ... looking at you. You'll be like, "Fly already!" and wondering how it got that way when it was the leash all along.
Hope this helped. Thanks for the question and good luck.
Writing is the best way to solve your problem. I know, I know, you just said that you can't write, that you're blocked, but you asked a question, right? To do that, you wrote down the question and posted it. So just sit down and write something else -- a story you want to work on for instance.
I'm betting that you initially stopped yourself from writing. It happens when we're trying to be too perfect, or find just the right word. Every time you stop yourself, you're building a wall. It's why I never do that the first time around. I just get the story down.
So force yourself write a paragraph. It can be the most godawful paragraph anyone has ever written, but it'll be a start. Save that in a .doc and open it the next day. Very important: save the .doc and make it a second version. Fear of losing what we write by making changes also stops us sometimes. That's a big thing for me. It's why each time I write, I save it as another version. I feel safe that if I want to go back to another version, I can.
At this point, if you want to edit the paragraph, go ahead. It'll get your feet wet and in the mood to write the second paragraph. Remember, just let it go. Don't get your critical mind involved in the process. Oh, and if you get dialogue between characters or an ending, write it down. Don't be concerned with going out of order. You'll get it sorted out, but when you get dialogue, an idea, a description of a scene, always write it down.
So don't judge yourself ... don't expect anything to be perfect the first time around. It's like keeping an eagle on a leash and expecting it to soar. Can't be done. And if keep that eagle tethered long enough, you're actually training it to stay on the ground. It means when you take the leash off, it'll just sit there ... looking at you. You'll be like, "Fly already!" and wondering how it got that way when it was the leash all along.
Hope this helped. Thanks for the question and good luck.
Wendy Potocki
I get inspired by ideas. Every once in awhile, a delicious one pops into my head. It spurs me to write a story about it. Or sometimes it happens in the middle of a story, like the one I'm writing now. It's a twist on a twist and I had no idea it was going to happen. I'm only ten chapters from the finish of this book, and this invigorated me to complete it. I can't wait to flesh out the idea and give the story this unexpected turn.
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Mar 17, 2016 12:33PM · flag