Write Through the Pain to Crush Writer’s Block

Most writers have other jobs that pay the bills. Many have families. Some have serious physical disabilities that make every task, including self-motivation difficult. I was reading an article about Andy Rathbone (who writes books for the “Dummies” series and has 15 million in print) when something jumped out at me. He said that when he was a college editor for the Daily Aztec, that he learned to crank out stories whether he felt like it or not. Journalism has deadlines. Writers from this background definitely have that going for them.

Fiction writers? Well, we all think we are artists. We wait for the muse, even if we deny that is what we are doing. For example I might write a blog article instead of revising my latest work-in-progress for the umpteenth time. “Blogging is important. Gotta build that author platform, right?”

Crush writer’s block with these easy steps:

1. Regarding blogging: I’ve found that creating worthwhile content as a fiction writer is difficult. There are thousands of writers, some better than others, sharing writing secrets on the web. What do I really have to say that might be helpful? The best way to avoid too much time suckage is to make a realistic determination of how much blogging is enough, then stick with that amount regardless of insecurity or verbosity. No bonus credit for five extra blogs when you are on a roll. Put that energy into your primary project, whether that be fiction or non-fiction.
   
   
2. Regarding family and other loved ones: Stephen King, once upon a time, wrote a book called On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft. There is a section on closing the door. In short, set the ground rules with your family and help them understand how important writing is to you. They may resent it a little less if they understand it is your one true passion.
   
   
3. Regarding the muse: Again, Stephen King handles this one. In his book about writing, he describes his muse as being a task master. He works at the same time everyday. Period. He waits for his muse, so long as the task-master-muse shows up and punches the clock every day when he does.
   
   
4. Regarding unfairness: Sol Stein, in his book Stein on Writing, relates the story of Christy Brown, an Irish writer and painter who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and had the use of the toes of one foot. This made me wonder if my excuses were kind of lame.

5. Regarding momentum: This one is solid gold. How many times have you been surprised when your imagination took off? Showing up is half the battle. The Vice President of Musclepharm, Cory Gregory, started out working a hundred hours a week in a coal mine. He saved his money, became a personal trainer, and eventually rose to the top of the fitness industry, promoting events and developing sports supplements. He has a radical training program that involves squatting heavy every day. Okay, okay I will shorten this story. He explains that while following this program, a person will feel sore and beat up, but once in the gym will often set a personal best squat. (The last I check he squats about 700 pounds and weighs around 185 pounds.)

So this is how you crush writer’s block. Commit to success and limit distractions, even legitimate distractions like blogging. Get your butt in the chair on a consistent, or better yet, fanatically consistent schedule. Understand that other people have greater challenges to overcome than you do and act accordingly. Don’t take your gifts for granted. Last, but not least, remember that nothing succeeds like success. Do it every day. Build momentum. Achieve every worthwhile dream in your head.

I write fiction. It is my passion. Without it, my world would really suck. So thanks for stopping by. I sincerely hope you succeed brilliantly in all things. Do you have advice we might all benefit from? Please leave a comment or share this article and make a writer’s day.

Thanks,
Scott