Sarah Langan
I've never had writer's block. That said, I've finished a book for the first time in six and a half years. So, take this answer with a grain of salt.
All writing is a process. If something isn't working, or your attention span isn't what is used to be (I had two young kids over those 6.5 years), that doesn't change the fact that you're a writer.
A day never went by when I didn't have some idea I wanted to commit to paper. But something wasn't clicking with my novel work. I'd had some bad luck career-wise and I'd lost trust in the professionals around me. I didn't want to hand in anything half-finished, fearing that it would get torn apart. So, that and the fact that I had two small humans competing for my time made my work feel a lot more like drudgery and a lot less like joy.
Every time someone asked me for a short story, I said yes. These were easier, given my attention span. In retrospect, I also just didn't want to deal with the professional side of things. I've written some of my best work, at least 20 short stories, since then. So, while from an outsider's perspective, I've done absolutely nothing. But from my perspective, I've become a much better writer and a much wiser person. My next book wouldn't have happened if I hadn't allowed it that extra time to breathe.
In essence, there is no such thing as writers' block. There is only ever the journey.
If you're a person who says they're blocked, but you're not sitting down in the chair every day, then you're not blocked. You're just not writing at all. So go sit down every day for half an hour or an hour or two hours and write something. You'll be surprised by how quickly your block resolves. Out of sheer boredom, you'll produce something. And stay off the internet!*
*Except to read this, and give my books a billionty stars!
All writing is a process. If something isn't working, or your attention span isn't what is used to be (I had two young kids over those 6.5 years), that doesn't change the fact that you're a writer.
A day never went by when I didn't have some idea I wanted to commit to paper. But something wasn't clicking with my novel work. I'd had some bad luck career-wise and I'd lost trust in the professionals around me. I didn't want to hand in anything half-finished, fearing that it would get torn apart. So, that and the fact that I had two small humans competing for my time made my work feel a lot more like drudgery and a lot less like joy.
Every time someone asked me for a short story, I said yes. These were easier, given my attention span. In retrospect, I also just didn't want to deal with the professional side of things. I've written some of my best work, at least 20 short stories, since then. So, while from an outsider's perspective, I've done absolutely nothing. But from my perspective, I've become a much better writer and a much wiser person. My next book wouldn't have happened if I hadn't allowed it that extra time to breathe.
In essence, there is no such thing as writers' block. There is only ever the journey.
If you're a person who says they're blocked, but you're not sitting down in the chair every day, then you're not blocked. You're just not writing at all. So go sit down every day for half an hour or an hour or two hours and write something. You'll be surprised by how quickly your block resolves. Out of sheer boredom, you'll produce something. And stay off the internet!*
*Except to read this, and give my books a billionty stars!
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