Beating “Author’s Block”

A couple of definitions: “Writer’s Block” is anything that stops you from writing or finishing. “Author’s Block” is anything that stops you from becoming a published author. Obviously the two interweave.

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So the steps of Lifewriting so far are:

1. Write a Sentence a Day. AT LEAST. This much will keep the valves open.
2. Write 1–4 short stories a month. Major increase in speed of learning, and diagnosing the “Writer’s Block” elements while they are small.
3. Finish, polish, submit.

Again, we could lecture on this step for a year, but the most important thing is that you FINISH your draft, and go through whatever steps you design to POLISH them. As Tananarive says, “Its not Pixie Dust, it’s Process.” You have to study, design, and test the process you use to generate and select ideas, produce words, complete projects, polish them, find a circle of trusted readers for feedback, and finally to actually release your fledglings into the world. I’d consider lack of submission to be a form of “Writer’s Block” or perhaps “Author’s Block” as the difference between a writer and an author is that AUTHORS ARE PUBLISHED.

Writer’s Write. Preferably every damn day. And not “social media” either. I mean at least one sentence ON YOUR PROJECT. If you want your unconscious mind to take you seriously, and start chewing over your ideas while you’re safe in your beddy, deep in dreamland as the “Boys in the Basement” go to work, then never ever…