Joanne Macgregor
I'm not sure I believe in writer's block. After all, whoever heard of plumber's block, or surgeon's block? I think we've romanticized common old procrastination.
Writing is hard work - it requires a massive creative effort in the face of our own insecurities and other's potential criticism and rejection. And, unlike plumbers and surgeons, we don't know if we ever got it "right", let alone "perfect".
As a psychologist, I know that overcoming procrastination often boils down to overcoming anticipatory anxiety in the moment, and (for me, at least), far and away the best way to start writing is to just begin. I set a timer for 15 minutes (you can do anything for fifteen minutes!) and give myself permission to stop when the buzzer rings. But fifteen minutes into a task, the creative engine has begun to warm up. You've usually stopped mucking about, you've overcome inertia and are no longer in a state of dread, and you're picking up momentum, so it's easier just to keep going for a while. After which you can reward yourself with a break, or a cup of coffee, or a picture of Jensen Ackles :)
Do this often enough, and you'll get into a working rhythm. Don't do it, and watch the anxiety and procrastination grow and overwhelm!
Writing is hard work - it requires a massive creative effort in the face of our own insecurities and other's potential criticism and rejection. And, unlike plumbers and surgeons, we don't know if we ever got it "right", let alone "perfect".
As a psychologist, I know that overcoming procrastination often boils down to overcoming anticipatory anxiety in the moment, and (for me, at least), far and away the best way to start writing is to just begin. I set a timer for 15 minutes (you can do anything for fifteen minutes!) and give myself permission to stop when the buzzer rings. But fifteen minutes into a task, the creative engine has begun to warm up. You've usually stopped mucking about, you've overcome inertia and are no longer in a state of dread, and you're picking up momentum, so it's easier just to keep going for a while. After which you can reward yourself with a break, or a cup of coffee, or a picture of Jensen Ackles :)
Do this often enough, and you'll get into a working rhythm. Don't do it, and watch the anxiety and procrastination grow and overwhelm!
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