Not to worry. I’m not going to reveal some Fifty Shades of Grey-type secret here.
But I have been keeping something to myself lately and holding it in is starting to feel unhealthy. My dirty little secret? I haven’t written since the beginning of May. Not a word. No fiction. No blog posts. Even getting this post together was brutal.
Why am I sharing this?
I feel a lot of shame about not writing. Writing always came very easy to me. I never had to think about it.
But now? I sit in front of the computer and … nada!
I’ve read so many blog posts and articles about how if you are a “real” writer you should devote time to your craft every single day. Butt in the chair, write all the time, you know the drill. So what happens when you can’t do that? What happens when life gets so crazy and gives you so much to deal with in such a short time that you can’t find the ability to put a word on paper. Hell, you can barely brush your hair or get out of bed some days.
I hate being Debbie Downer. But it’s tough to read about people getting published and moving their careers forward when I am so painfully stuck in place. Ordinarily, hearing about others’ successes makes me feel inspired. Lately, it makes me feel ashamed.
I still don’t know if it’s even okay to write about this. My stomach is in knots as I type this. But then I thought about how writing is not for the faint of heart. Writing is tough, tough stuff. And maybe I’m reaching someone who will benefit from this. Maybe someone else has had a rough time too. Does not writing make me a bad writer? Or just a normal one?
So fellow writer’s blockers – UNITE! Please tell me: how did you get past your slump?