This is not to be confused with writer's block. Writer's block is when a writer is blocked in their story and they don't know what to write.
This is not my problem. I am not blocked in my story. My story overflows with ideas and material, my brain churning out new points and angles for Project V like nobody's business. If anything, I am too not blocked in my story - it refuses to stop evolving, constantly changing this bit and that bit until what I had before is nothing more than a second-rate idea.
My problem is that I'm blocked from writing, the physical act of putting words on paper. I know what I want to write, but when I go to physically write, I can't. And right now I am re-writing, which means I have 100 pages already written that only need to be physically typed and tweaked. You think this would make things even easier, but it hasn't.
I know the solution to this problem: sitting my butt in the chair and writing. I KNOW THIS. And yet, the physical act of writing repels me like magnets of the same polarity.
Luckily, I have found some solace in a new story. I am physically writing, and that counts for something with me. But sooner or later, I know I have to return to Project V. I have sworn to have the first draft finished by the end of this year. I keep telling myself this, scolding myself for every wasted writing moment. Yet every time I glance at my laptop, my mind simply goes blank of anything remotely resembling a cohesive sentence.
Here's hoping my polarity changes soon...
Ok, I need to tell you about this. I just started reading The Artist's Way, and one of the first sections of the book is about "morning pages." Essentially, just three pages of stream-of-thought longhand writing (you're supposed to do it in the morning, but let's face it I don't have enough time in the morning as it is.)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I have never thought this could be helpful. I've never been a journaler. But there's just something about getting all your complaints and fears out and on paper that is extremely liberating. It really clears out your head. I couldn't believe that I actually saw a difference only three days in. Just gripe and bitch and talk about whatever you want for three pages. (Most of mine is bitching, haha.) But you end up with some real deep ideas in the middle. Trust me, TRY IT.