Writer's Block, but not Really
Recently I've been struggling. The ideas for my third book are there, but the words aren't. I've written two beginnings revolving around the same plot point. Neither of them were to my liking. And yes I'm aware that for some people two versions really isn't that many. It is for me. I never compare my writing style and process to others. It is a fruitless and fraught venture that will make anyone woefully inadequate, so I don't.
Back to my original point. I will often say that I don't get writer's block. To me writer's block is a lack of ideas. That has never been the problem. There have been times when I've simply had too many ideas and they all got in the way. I have to admit though I get writer's apathy.
Writer's apathy is just simply not caring about what I'm writing, just putting words down for the sake of working. And I'm pretty sure that's what's happening right now. I know I need to up my numbers so I write, but it doesn't help me, and again this is about my writing not anyone else, if what I'm putting to the page is garbage.
When I read this apathetic, solely for the numbers writing, it depresses me. And for someone with depression that's problematic. It can sometimes take me three or four days to work out of a depressive spiral. And during that time nothing productive happens. Kind of kills my momentum.
What is the point of this post? Well basically it's to disagree with some of the commonly held advice that exists out there. The idea of "Write no matter what". That's not good advice for me. And on the flip side the advice I give is not for everyone. Each and every writer out there has a different style, we're different people for heaven's sake.
Now I'm not saying don't go out there and look for help. There are plenty of resources out there. Especially for indie authors. What I'm saying is don't try and take every single piece of advice that comes across your screen/inbox. Some will work, some won't. What is important is understanding yourself well enough to know what will and won't work for you.
Back to my original point. I will often say that I don't get writer's block. To me writer's block is a lack of ideas. That has never been the problem. There have been times when I've simply had too many ideas and they all got in the way. I have to admit though I get writer's apathy.
Writer's apathy is just simply not caring about what I'm writing, just putting words down for the sake of working. And I'm pretty sure that's what's happening right now. I know I need to up my numbers so I write, but it doesn't help me, and again this is about my writing not anyone else, if what I'm putting to the page is garbage.
When I read this apathetic, solely for the numbers writing, it depresses me. And for someone with depression that's problematic. It can sometimes take me three or four days to work out of a depressive spiral. And during that time nothing productive happens. Kind of kills my momentum.
What is the point of this post? Well basically it's to disagree with some of the commonly held advice that exists out there. The idea of "Write no matter what". That's not good advice for me. And on the flip side the advice I give is not for everyone. Each and every writer out there has a different style, we're different people for heaven's sake.
Now I'm not saying don't go out there and look for help. There are plenty of resources out there. Especially for indie authors. What I'm saying is don't try and take every single piece of advice that comes across your screen/inbox. Some will work, some won't. What is important is understanding yourself well enough to know what will and won't work for you.
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