Oddly enough, some of the smartest people I know suffer the most from writer’s block. Perhaps it’s because they have always achieved what they set out to do, that they won’t settle for anything other than perfection.
There’s one sure fire way to overcome writers block and that’s to write. Easier said than done. Or is it?
Take a minute to answer these questions…
Do you write your topic sentence and then rewrite it over and over until it’s perfect?
Do you need to map out every step of your novel before you start?
Do you reread passages that you’ve written before you’re finished with your project?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’re prone to suffering from writer’s block. Although good writing requires outlining, rewriting and lots of editing, don’t make the mistake of stopping your writing flow in order to make it perfect the first time. There’s plenty of time to rewrite…once you get everything on the page.
Let it pour out of you, even if you’re meandering, taking too long, and rehashing the same point. Writing is akin to when you turn on the garden hose. At first, only a few trickles come out, but once that water reaches the nozzle, it begins to pour. When that happens, you’ll feel satisfied that you got a significant number of words down on the page and the feeling will carry over to your next writing session.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to write that first draft and relish in the fact that it will certainly need to be rewritten. Need help with getting started? I’m just an email away.
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