A writer with writer's block writing about writer's block

I have writer's block. Not for my novel, just for this blog. I have been given some fabulous feedback regarding the novel, which has triggered in me the desire to do some minor tweaking. When a friend challenged a character, or questioned the narrative I knew exactly how to respond or found myself wanting to return and amend. So I know my mind is, in some manner, functioning in a writerly way.

But as adorable wife will be able to attest, I have been staring at the blank white canvass that is the new post page for nigh on 10 minutes, without typing one single word. This is frustrating because it is pretty much 10 days since my last post and in all this time, nothing inspirational by way of bloggy subjects has popped into my head.

But here's the thing; as I began to type the words above, the void began to dissipate and thoughts and ideas began to flow. I may not be in the super bling, writing hyper-zone, but the very action of starting the first sentence brought forth more and suddenly I was faced with a paragraph. Before I knew it, a subject was hovering into view and a blog post was forming. 

This is a key writing tip that I certainly learned whilst writing my novel. It is very easy to tell yourself you have nothing to write. It is very easy to fear that merciless blank page and feel your lack of inspiration is a failure. Worse still, I sometimes find myself terrified to write more when I read what I have written previously. Not because I think it is hideous drivel, but because it's damn good (pardon the blatant horn blowing here). Why would that be an issue, you may well ask. Simply put, I consistently have no idea how I could have written anything worthwhile, anything that is actually worth reading; so if I read back my own words and enjoy them, I fear that it can never be replicated; that it was a freakish fluke involving brain swapping and narcotics that induced some form of creative outburst that if repeated would likely cause instant death. Okay I exaggerate but you get the point.

But if you just commit,  just type something, even without knowing why or what, more often than not, that curious magic happens and words begin to appear on the screen. Of course, it is nothing more than your mind awakening and going, ah, I know what this is, maybe I can contribute, here, take some words, here, take some more. 

And it is by this persistence that novels, big thick chunky novels, get completed. 

If, every day that I had taken to the computer to write, I had waited for a clear vision of my next move, I'd still be on page one of my novel and this blog would never exist (some may say this is no great loss mind you).

It is this willingness to try that I feel has come to me late in life. It is not a natural ability and I am ashamed to say by nature I am, as my blog title states, a serial procrastinator. I even procrastinate getting myself to bed and end up sleeping about two hours later than planned. 

I rarely leave myself time to do anything and yet somehow I wrote an entire novel. And this came about solely from me telling myself, do it, do it, do it and get to the end, get to the end, get to the end. 

Once I realised the most vital aspect of any writing is just that, to get to the end, I had a clear goal in mind. Without a complete novel, I had nothing to move forward with. It may sound stupidly simple, but I'm sure if you did a poll of the population to find how many people had aborted creative projects of one form or another, you would find this was a high percentage.


So, my friends, if you are ever faced with a blank canvass in life and think, I have nothing, and so abort the project, stop! Just put something down anyway and you may just surprise yourself. Sure, it may not be your best work, heck it may even stink, but it is progression and it is creation. You will feel better for having tried. That's a guarantee, or your money back.


Besides when you last expect it, genius may rear it's head and we'd all love a touch of that!