Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Dreaded Writer's Block

I haven't been able to write in such a long time. I've sat here for weeks and months watching as my fellow writers get book deals, and agents, and requests. I wrote my historical and expected it to be perfect and it wasn't. I have so much work ahead of me and I feel overwhelmed. So much that I can't write. I've since started 4 other stories that are in various stages. Probably junk. I know I got a lot of work to do and I wish I could get back to work but I just don't know where to began. I've lost the excitement that writing has brought me for 20 years and it scares me. I once thought I would die if I couldn't write anymore but not so much anymore. The light is growing smaller and I want it back. I'm going to make a deal with myself that I hope helps. Sit down and write for at least an hour at first. I'll work my way up and reward myself with something new. I rarely ever do that. I need to hit the research again and learn everything I can about the time period and writing in general. I can do this.

2 comments:

Lisa Miles said...

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I have a similar situation with a novel I have over 300 pages done. I got great feedback from two people but now I have MAJOR rewrites and don't even know where to begin.

What I'm going to do (and recommend) is make a list of what needs to be done then work through the list. It can be very small goals to start with, but doing a little at a time will add up.

Good luck!

Racquel Henry said...

Don't worry, I think every writer goes through this at some point. I've definitely been there. When I have writer's block, I listen to music or read the newspaper. Sometimes even just surfing the web will trigger story ideas. Good luck with everything and hang in there! :)