1 Simple Rule for Overcoming Writers Block

What is keeping you from writing through?

Is it fear?

Self doubt?

Mental illness?

Comparison?

Motherhood? Or fatherhood?

Life?

The list goes on and on. There are a million reasons not to write and usually only one or two that’ll get you to the keyboard/pen. But even those reasons, no matter how heroic, are often drowned out by the others. So what’s a writer to do?

That’s a terrific question. Even now, I find myself struggling to write. It’s not fear of a blank page for me but the mental strain of life and the battle of PPD. (Read more here.) Not only that, but this month I’ve become victim to a series of relentless migraines. And of course, all of this continues to remind me of my goal for NaNoWriMo and how I’m utterly failing to meet it. Commence more spiraling and self-doubt which in turn equals less writing. Oh, woe is me. (Side note: I was once asked to spell “woe” at a middle school spelling bee. I said “W O”. I’ll never live it down.)

My point is that writing does not always come easy. Maybe the ideas flow but the prospect of putting words to paper is daunting. And the thing is that no motivational pep talk will get you out of your slump. And that sucks… like really really sucks.

The answer is quite simple, though not what anyone (including myself) wants to hear.

The answer = WRITE THROUGH.

I’m sorry, what? Who are you to tell me to push through my fear or self-doubt or worse, depression? Well *places hand over shoulder as we stroll down a garden path* I’m your fellow writer, fellow human, walking beside you and facing the exact same thing. Sure, there are subtle variations. Sure, not everyone will deal with mental illness. Sure, you may be a mother of ten while I’m only a mother of three. But at the end of the day, we’re all struggling humans. We can all own up to that.

I could write a lists of all the things that suck at this point in my life. And by universal right, I could probably step back from my writing and be fine. I’m under no contract or deadline except my own. BUT (and thank goodness for the but) I’m choosing to write through.

It may be crappy.

It may be painful.

It may be difficult. Or horrendous. Or gut-wrenching.

But I CHOOSE to WRITE THROUGH. Stephen King says it best:

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King

I love this quote for three simple reasons: first, he clearly implies two types of writers and I refuse to fall into the amateur category; second, inspiration isn’t the only ticket to good writing which is a huge weight off of my shoulders; and third, Stephen King, as incredibly gifted as he is, is like the rest of us — he goes to work whether he feels like it or not.

We can’t play the emotional game because emotions are fickle. And while they are important, they can often lead us astray. The phrase “I don’t feel like it” is insanely dangerous to the mindset of a self-motivated person — a writer. As my dad often says about many things in life, it’s a slippery slope. Obviously, mental illness is a whole different experience. But all the same, it can sometimes be just about going through the motions if only one step at a time.

As they say, fake it till you make it. (If you know who “they” are, feel free to let the rest of us in on that.)

Though this phrase is entirely overused and usually unfair, it does have its place. Because that’s exactly what “write through” implies.

Write through the pain.

Write through fear.

Write through life.

And even, write through mental illness.

You never know what might come out on the other side. But you have to start walking in order to get there.

Write through my friends. And I’ll write through with you.

Please comment below or tag me on twitter with the #WritingThrough and let’s share what we push through in order to become the writers we dream to be.