Writer's block

This is what we, as writers, call an excuse to NOT write. Anyone who has sat down and faced the page knows that it can be one of the most daunting and frustrating creative capsules to find oneself in. The symptoms that can be listed include neglect, severe guilt, procrastination, worry, dread, lack of confidence, a sudden urge to clean, everything and then re-clean, everything. Shows you once despised seem more interesting then ever, Yeah, I can like Snooki or it's raining but yet it seems like the perfect time for a walk. But you don't own an umbrella:( Well why not go to the mall to buy one then go for a walk? what about your stories, I'll find time. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

That is not the way.  

The first step to overcoming this common headache is to admit it's happening. Because if you can admit then you can address it. It's also an accepted philosophy that once you have acknowledged then you can take the next most useful step which is.... It should be obvious, but because I spend plenty of time at the mall then I will reiterate, myself included-- Write on through it. Yes sit down and write whatever the hell you want, free thinking, thought flowing gibberish works for me. In fact this is exactly what I'm doing write now. 

I read recently in an article from BlueCat that Jerry Seinfeld's approach to his career was to create a chain. That is everyday he will do at least one thing toward his writing. At the end of everyday he would cross out the day on his calendar with a red marker indicating he had written thus creating a chain of endless days where he created and created. Before long his fear went from writing material to not writing material. That is a goal. It is said it takes 30 days to create a habit. do you have thirty days to start something that will carry over into next month? And then the next month, the next and before you know it you've written that short story, that song, that poem, that screenplay, that novel, your Opus. Human's by nature must create. we create life, we create art, we create stories, that is what we do. The only reason anyone does anything different is because they stopped creating!   

I heard someone say recently "Don't worry, there's all the time in the world". Well unless you're a rock, that's just not true. We don't have all the time in the world. Unless in the next 20-30-40-50 years medicine finds a way for us to live forever, we d(w)on't have all the time in the world. That's why to make the most of the moments we must "do". Those moments should not be decided by something that does not exist except as a fear, an insecurity, an "I'll get to it" attitude. Now is the time. If not now, never. There's no better time than the present. These are not quotes made famous from people who wait. These people made things happen. And when you sit down and write you're making something happen. You may not think you're making progress but I assure you for every page you type you uncover something new about your creative self. It won't always be great, sometimes you'll feel relieved to delete it so no eyes will know you were ever bad. Success is out there, waiting to be embraced. But it's not going to come to anyone, it only comes to people who deserve it.  

So write to it!

My next post will be coming much sooner and it will return to Screenplay. The dreaded beat sheet!!!!!