Writer's Block

The only accurate wording is in the name itself, “block.”

  So I have been “stuck” for a while now. It may not look like it, but for the first time, I have been suffering from writer's block. A few months ago I felt the need to push and create a large base of writing for Substack, so I did. I had built up many articles, almost four months’ worth.

  It felt good to get them all posted and scheduled to come out at regular times. But then… the writing started to dry up. The land became parched and ideas like plants died in the hot sun. I tried to write, even started a few posts but after a little while, I could just care less about what I was writing. Slowly, my four-month lead time dwindled, and now I only have a few left.

  All the while my Substack has been changing, growing, and expanding. I also discovered that several of the subscribers had not opened anything in months, so I removed them. That shrunk the size, but things flipped, and this month has suddenly become the largest subscription month yet. 

  My reason for removing them was simple… I am looking for a community, not followers. I would rather have people who at least found some value in what I have written or even better yet engage in the conversation with questions, suggestions, and advice. As opposed to people who simply like to keep hitting the subscribe button but never read. This is one of the reasons I have stopped subscribing to various Substack accounts. I just don’t have time to read them all.

  So it may seem odd to say I have writer’s block and then create this post about the problem. But I thought if I write about the problem, then maybe I can nudge my way past it. You see this block thing is a new thing for me. Since 2015 I have always been writing something and my single-day writing record was at one point over 12,000 words in one day. Sure it was a mess, and needed tons of editing but I did it.

  I have a Christian Science Fiction series with just over a million words that remains largely unpublished (except for the first book) and I have also written content for blogs and other things over the years. So to have a block, well that was an alien problem for me. 

  I looked online about the issue. Saw a website that claimed writer’s block stemmed from one of four problems. I read them and discovered that I must be the exception because none of the four applied to me. Then I found a well-known writer’s site and he shared several of his tricks, I am trying the last one… writing about the problem.

  It is hard to describe this problem, the only accurate wording is in the name itself, “block.” It is literally like a roadblock stopping all traffic. Or like a blockage in a hose forcing the water to back up. I’ll start on a subject that I know or care about and not be able to get more than a few words before every just stops. 

  It’s almost like an old friend that you have known for years has suddenly refused to speak with you and you don’t know why. Worse yet, when confronted they still claim friendship but all they give is silence. This is the writer’s block I am dealing with. 

  So for the next few posts, you may find them to be shorter. Or even on odd topics or even a short story or two. At least until I kick this thing’s butt.