And They Call It Writer's Block...

Which is worse? Procrastination? Writer's Block?

Or, are they one and the same? Writer's block comes in a myriad of disguises. Procrastination? Too busy; bad plot; phone calls; and the list can go on and on.

Many believe writer's block to be some huge plague to stop them from writing.

WRONG!

I say it is a crutch to allow a writer to blame somebody or something else for their failure to perform.

Cry 1: The plot just isn't working. Well, then fix the damned thing. The plot was your idea and if it isn't working properly, enabling you to continue, fix it. Don't go wailing writer's block.

Cry 2: The kids keep bothering me. Establish a time when they (the family) leave you alone and only bother you with actual emergencies. If your ten year old has broken an arm and it is attached only by a small dangling piece of skin -- have the sixteen year old drive to emergency. You're working!

Cry 3: People visiting; phone calls and such. Look at your watch and say: Got to get back to work and go to your home office (whatever you want to call it) and start writing. At a real workplace, coffee breaks only last so long. Helloooo?

Cry 4: I'll do it later. Yeah, right. If you had a real job, do you think your boss would buy into that game plan? I think not! So why do it with your writing?

I hear all of you out there. "But I really do have a full time job and writing is my passion. I just need..."

Get over yourself. If writing is truly your passion, then writer's block is like "I don't feel good today" for the office. Admit to yourself the truth. If you don't want to write today, say so. Don't blame it on some lame excuse like writer's block. Be honest with yourself.

So, just why am I discussing writer's block today? To be honest -- I have absolutely no idea what I was going to discuss. I had writer's block. I considered blowing it off, using the day to go shopping or family visiting. That would have been my excuse. But, I realized, it wouldn't work. Somebody once told me that tomorrow never comes because when you wake up, it is today. Well, hockey pucks! Tomorrow will come and I'd still have to write about something.

I usually compose my blogs during the week and weekend so it will be ready on Monday morning. This week, I didn't. Tongue in cheek; I had writer's block.

So, how did I write this? I sat down. That's right, I plopped my butt in the chair and I starting writing. I didn't know what I was going to say or how I was going to say it but I started to say something. That is true of all writing -- just start writing, putting to the cyber paper any words you've got in your head, something, anything; just start!

If you type it, words will come.

I've gone back over and cleaned up my non-congruent thoughts, organized them and hopefully, given you an article from which you will learn.

Therefore, in closing, there is no writer's block; just a bunch of dumb reasons. Deal with it!