It is a pain when you have so much to say but nothing will come out. When words normally flow from your fingers like ink from a pen but your well has run dry.
I start a million blog posts but keep getting stuck at around the 100th word. Incomplete thoughts. Holding back.
Where has my inspiration gone and what caused it to vanish? Re-reading what’s on the screen in front of me I find myself in the eighty-first word. Already my typing has begun to slow and I an not sure what I will write next. I’ll never make it to 300 – the magic number my goal.
Our dogs are playing loudly on the floor behind my desk, so I turn to watch their joyful antics. It’s good that they burn off some energy. They’ve been cooped up all day and we’re going out tonight.
Eventually, the chaos fizzles out and I am once again left with my computer. I want so badly to write something, anything. Writing always feels so good.
I remember learning to type on an old typewriter that my mother got for me in elementary school. My teachers often complained about my poor penmanship somehow that lead to me typing up my homework painstakingly stroke by stroke. I hated and loved that ancient machine.
Not being able to use whiteout was hard, and I remember feelings of agony every time I had to throw away an entire piece of paper because of a single missed keystroke. Sometimes the ink would double because of a misalignment and no fault of my own. I hated throwing my work into the trash.
It would be several years before I would have the luxury of owning my own copy of Microsoft Word. Finally, I can work freely without killing the trees.
Today writing is much easier thanks to laptops, hotspots, WordPress, and social media. I can even publish from my phone if I am traveling or on the move. There is no excuse – I have the tools.
Pushing through the block – I have done it, passed my goal of 300 words.
Now to reward me with a hot cup of coffee. I’d love a nap but we’ve got things to do.
I feel your pain – novels full of first chapters 🙂
I totally remember those old school typewriters! If you mess one thing up, you had to start from scratch! I think as long as we’re speaking what’s on our heart, we should never get writer’s block. 🙂
We all have those days! Glad you stuck to it and let your wandering mind and thoughts set you free! Great post!
Hi Rebel! Thank you for liking my post on ADHD. Being a science nerd I was intrigued by your blog name and read through some of your articles. You are a wonderful writer. I have to say, I don’t really have the problem of writers block in the way you describe it. I don’t start writing until I have a well developed idea that I brainstormed over for weeks. Eventually, the idea grows so much that I HAVE to write or my brain won’t shut off and let me sleep at night. This is why I am also so bad about posting regularly on my blog. When you actively look for things to write about, you challenge yourself to be a better writer and a creative thinker. The occasional writing block is normal. I look forward to reading more of your wonderful articles.
Thank you so much for your comment. There are some concepts that I create in my mind ahead of time. They take shape over months of pondering, but most times when I sit down behind the keyboard I am able to create something. Every now and then, normally when I am tired, there is nothing. I have noticed that the words never come when rushed or if made into “work”. The art has to be free for the ink to flow.
words flowing
like water
through
the broken
embankment 🙂
Beautiful! <3
Keep going , just ramble sometimes that is the way to get the stuck or lost words out .
Great post! I have found that what has worked for me is forcing myself to post one thing per day. I don’t hold myself to a standard of quality, but my writing usually ends up relatively well.
I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you!
Perhaps you could vary your goal.
I was writing for the sake of writing because I had told myself that I needed to get something else up on the blog. Really if I wait and just write when I am inspired things tend to come more fluidly. 🙂
Imposing a discipline is an excellent idea. But sometimes we need to tweak the form of discipline, for example the number of words or minutes per day.
Yes – I set my small goal of 300 knowing that NORMALLY I can easily double that. I am glad I pushed on. 🙂
Perfect. I like this idea.
I mean, by your 100th word, you had written an interesting post.
Thank you SO much! 😀
Thanks for sharing! 😀
This is truly an awesome blog and you have inspired me.
😀
Hi! Thanks for dropping by my blog. I came poking around, as one does, and found this…which I clicked on because I thought I would not be able to relate (I always like to see views other than my own). But it turns out I can. I always have a million blog entries started, and a million ideas waiting to start…but getting past that original sketching out of ideas is the challenging part for me, much as you described in your own entry.
One thing I found that works for me is to just leave it hanging, and then when I come back to it after a day or a week and read it fresh, I’m in a different mode, more conducive to editing and tying up lose ends. I see more clearly what the point of the piece should be, and can cut away all the excess ideas that were good at the time and needed to come out, but don’t fit the structure of the piece at hand. I dump those into a separate document, and off I go!
No idea if it will work for others, but it’s been working for me.
Thanks for dropping by my blog; I’ll poke around yours some more, too!
Yes, I can definitely relate to starting a lot of writing projects. Many may never be complete but writing them is still great mental exercise.
I think this post is very symbolic, and actually telling about the type if person you are. I definitely got a visual of that type writer in my head, secretly I have always wanted one. Great work!
I wish I knew what happened to it. I wouldn’t mind using one again now that I am a more proficient typist. Thank you so much for the kind words! 😉
such a relate-able post for lovers of the writing art!
thanks for sharing