Writer's Block! WHAT?!

[image error] No I do not have writer's block, but if I did, I would call it a challenge, a test to see if I can persevere! Because the best things in life come with challenges, being a writer is just that, a challenge.



I personally don't think writer's block exists, well only in the reality of that writer. Writer's block is a concept that's different with every writer when they say "I didn't write today because I have writer's block," but I know that some people are SUPER serious about this. They "lose" the ability to write, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, maybe even the rest of their lifetime.



Writer's block is when a writer loses their ability to write. People will often tell themselves they're bad at writing or what they write is crap. But this is only because we are our own worst enemy, as writers we are super critical of what we produce.



However, this isn't the only reason, in fact there are more serious reasons as to why some people stop writing. Some people suffer from depression, there are a lot of famous authors who have been severely bi-polar and depressive, such as, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. Or it could  be because of a failed relationship, perhaps it had been a long relationship. These things can hinder our inspiration, also someone breathing down your neck, constantly telling you to write.



I agree that deadlines and  being forced to write something for someone will make me feel less inclined to write. However, some people like to have deadlines and someone to encourage/push them to write. I make a little list every morning/afternoon when I wake up, the list will have something like "start edits on chapter #" or "write blog post on--" etc.



Yes, I also believe that writing blog posts counts as writing and it helps to keep me from Facebook or Twitter. And that's another thing, social networks taking time away from people who won't say they've got writer's block or confront themselves and just mask it with Facebook.



This post has actually inspired another little hash tag, #Beat The Block will be full of tips, tricks and challenges.



Happy Writing & Happy Reading!



~Joseph Eastwood