Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My WORST Writer's Block Experience

Over a month since my last post....I'm a terrible person.  Worse than ignoring my blog--I've been ignoring my writing.  Although, technically, it wasn't something I did willingly.  First I had finals, final projects, final reports--and then I had the worst writer's block of my life--and it has persisted for the past month!!

So much wasted time!

I once heard that an author only gets writer's blcok if s/he hasn't thought enough about their story.  I used to agree with that one hundred percent and thought that was some of the best advice I'd ever been given.  I'd take a step back from my laptop, collect a notebook and pen, go sit in a rocking chair outside or find a place inside that's quiet, and then I'd brainstorm.  I would fill up several pages and race upstairs to flesh it out. 

Well, it didn't work this time.  I sat and sat and sat and wrote nothing.  I finally tried switching the story I was working on to see if that helped.  It didn't.  I tried switching genres and tried going back to an old western romance I was playing with a couple years back.  Nothing.  I couldn't write a poem--I couldn't even read a book!!  As habit, I turned on my laptop every morning, opened up my manuscript, and an unproductive half hour later, I closed the program and shut the laptop down. 

Oh I fought, believe me when I said that I fought.  But my characters' voices faded from my thoughts and I was left alone.  As a result, I have spent the last month in a daze.  A writer writes--always--and I couldn't do that.  Literally, couldn't.  In this past month, I've managed to write a shitty total of maybe 13 pages of random stuff. 

I have The Summoner's Fallen Guardian open and ready.  The fact that I was able to write this post gives me hope that the block is relenting and I can return to my story.  I'm bloody well going to keep trying!  I'm a very stubborn person.  I figure that with the start of the New Year approaching, things have to reset, and I'll soon by typing like a crazy person again.