Cintia
asked
Michelle Willingham:
Hi, my name is Cintia and I'm from Argentina. Being a writer is what I want the most in this world, nothing makes me happier than writing, but I'm more and more frustrated with each passing day, because I've been blocked for 3 years. And it is not that I have an unfinished story. I have NOTHING AT ALL. A blank page in front of me, that only makes me sadder... Is there a way to overcome this? How do you handle it?
Michelle Willingham
Hi Cintia,
I'm sorry you're having trouble with writer's block. Everybody goes through it, and it can be a real struggle. First, you should ask yourself if you're writing something that you enjoy. Sometimes you try to write in a genre that doesn't fit your style. I could never write science fiction, for example.
Second, give yourself permission to write garbage. Many people think that writers automatically come out with brilliant plots and prose. That's not true at all. About half of what I write gets thrown out, but it's not truly a waste of time. I have to write through the garbage to get to the good stuff. So tell yourself you're going to write one sentence today, no matter how bad it is. Then tomorrow, write another sentence. Or maybe a paragraph. The point is to get yourself back into writing every day. And even if you throw everything out, again--it's not wasted effort. It's helping you get back into the fun of writing. Write something purely for the joy of it. Don't worry about if it's any good. Write to entertain yourself and throw all the rules out the window.
Wishing you all the best of luck!
Michelle
I'm sorry you're having trouble with writer's block. Everybody goes through it, and it can be a real struggle. First, you should ask yourself if you're writing something that you enjoy. Sometimes you try to write in a genre that doesn't fit your style. I could never write science fiction, for example.
Second, give yourself permission to write garbage. Many people think that writers automatically come out with brilliant plots and prose. That's not true at all. About half of what I write gets thrown out, but it's not truly a waste of time. I have to write through the garbage to get to the good stuff. So tell yourself you're going to write one sentence today, no matter how bad it is. Then tomorrow, write another sentence. Or maybe a paragraph. The point is to get yourself back into writing every day. And even if you throw everything out, again--it's not wasted effort. It's helping you get back into the fun of writing. Write something purely for the joy of it. Don't worry about if it's any good. Write to entertain yourself and throw all the rules out the window.
Wishing you all the best of luck!
Michelle
More Answered Questions
Rachel Kidd
asked
Michelle Willingham:
I was just wondering, does your Twitter name get you a lot of male followers? Rachel :)
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