Cintia asked Caroline Linden:

Hi, my name is Cintia and I'm from Argentina. Being a writer is what I want the most in this world, nothing makes me happier than writing, but I'm more and more frustrated with each passing day, because I've been blocked for 3 years. And it is not that I have an unfinished story. I have NOTHING AT ALL. A blank page in front of me, that only makes me sadder... Is there a way to overcome this? How do you handle it?

Caroline Linden The first thing I would recommend is to avoid pressuring yourself. You don't have to sit down and write a whole novel. Start with just a scene, relating something you saw today. Or pick a classic story you love--for example, a fairy tale like Cinderella--and just start writing that. Add details. Dialogue. Change the setting. Change some characters' gender, or history. Feel free to change things in the story that you don't like. Then try writing the story from a different character's point of view (for example, Prince Charming or Cinderella's stepmother). Think hard about why they behave as they do, and explain it.

These are all just ways to trick yourself into writing. Tell yourself it will be short, no one need ever see it, it's just for fun. Sometimes people set a timer, so they know they only have an hour to work on it. I know sometimes it seems like the more you WANT to write, the harder it is to produce the words. But once you convince yourself that you can write 2 pages, you can write 5, then 10, then 100.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

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