On Writer's Block...

It's funny. I've been dying to get back here and write a new blog post for a while and every time I try something else seems to come up. When I finally made some time to do so, I felt like I had writer's block and that made me think - how about a quick post about writer's block?!

I think we've all been there before. You just can't seem to figure out what you want to say. Maybe you thought of some things on your commute this morning, but the moment you get to a keyboard you've forgotten what those incredible insights were(at least you thought they were incredible at the time!)

Life happens, and it oftentimes happens too quickly for us. We're all aware of just how crazy things can get and it can sometimes feel like life is something that happens to us rather than something we live. If you're like me, though, the real reason you don't write 9 times out of 10 is not because of the things that we have no control over, but rather because we don't commit to doing the hard work.

If that's you too (and be honest, it probably is!) you might find this quote as compelling as I do. I found it years ago and I tend to have it posted near my desk so that it's harder for me to get away with not making the effort. It comes from Frank Herbet, author of the best-selling Sci-Fi book series of all time, Dune. Check it out!

“A man is a fool not to put everything he has, at any given moment, into what he is creating. You're there now doing the thing on paper. You're not killing the goose, you're just producing an egg. So I don't worry about inspiration, or anything like that. It's a matter of just sitting down and working. I have never had the problem of a writing block. I've heard about it. I've felt reluctant to write on some days, for whole weeks, or sometimes even longer. I'd much rather go fishing, for example, or go sharpen pencils, or go swimming, or what not. But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, 'Well, now it's writing time and now I'll write.' There's no difference on paper between the two.”