Writers’ Redux

I’ve written here (and elsewhere) that content is my lifeblood. It’s the way that I try to suss out a bit of meaning from this crazy thing we call life and it’s a crucial building block to my career. However, much like my good pal Lindsay Bell wrote in a post last week, I’ve been suffering under the weight of some soul-crushing writer’s block. Perhaps it’s the time of year and the fact that I can’t seem to catch a break personally over the past few weeks, but stringing a paragraph together here has been challenging. Frustratingly so – and I don’t like feeling like I’ve been set adrift.

Not. One. Bit.

When I’m cursed with a bit of writer’s block, it’s usually a sign that my mind is working overtime. My drafts folder starts bursting at the seams with half-baked ideas, cocktail napkin scrawlings and the occasional brain dump. Too many ideas are just as troublesome as too few. I first down to pen this very post on Thursday of last week (which then marked a week since my last publishing update) – and stared at the blank page for the better part of two hours. As Stephen King said in On Writing”, “the scariest moment is always just before you start.” Write sentence, delete sentence. Rewrite sentence, delete again. I’ve nuked no less than three posts in as many days.

Second verse, same as the first.

This blog’s primary function is as an extension of my work as a copywriter and content creator. It gives me a platform to work through challenging topics in a thoughtful and considerate way, so writer’s block hurts. Deeply. Anxiety abounds and all that rot. Giving thoughtful commentary and analysis in 500 words helps me polish my chops for writing tight, audience-responsive content.

I know that I’ve written on the topic of writer’s block in the past (at least in passing), but this current bout is severe enough to give me pause and really figure out what’s going on in my head that is making composition so blasted difficult. I’ll never let myself forget that writing is a discipline, one that requires constant pruning and attention – and at bit of coddling at times. When my mind starts racing and keeping focus seems totally out of reach, I need to reach for the pen and give those thoughts some shape – and be satisfied in knowing that there’s always the chance that they might never be fully formed. The post may never see the light of day – and that’s perfectly okay. Creativity can be a damn messy thing – and I need to spend more time exploring the ways that cooking and music can inform and inspire my creative life.

We’ve all encountered those times in our personal and professional lives when things just seem not quite right. Pay attention to those moments – there might be a lesson worth diving into just out of sight.