A. Meredith Walters: Dealing with that pesky writer's block

If you’re a writer (or a writer-to-be) then no doubt you’ve encountered the scary, downright petrifying phenomenon known as writer’s block.  I go through this frequently myself.  Once entering, it’s a bleak, dark and terrifying place where your words don’t make sense, your characters become hideous caricatures from a soap opera and worse than that, you are certain the whole thing seriously sucks.

So what do you do?  How do you get through the painful doldrums onto the other side and into writing nirvana?

For me, it’s a matter of taking a step back.  I don’t force myself to write through it.  Go watch some TV, hang out with the family, listen to some music.  I’ve had writer’s block that has lasted MONTHS and it’s easy to become discouraged.  I have had many an internal dialogue with my Negative Nelly self, swearing that my writing days are done.  Finished.  Died a quick and decisive death.

But as a writer, you’re never done.  And even when I become discouraged and think I’ll never be able to write another word again, I just take a moment to remember why I started to create my stories in the first place.

Because I can’t not write.

So when you’re struggling, thinking you can’t finish your story, or perhaps even get started, take a time out, think about why you chose to write your book in the first place.  Put it in perspective and find that place where you love your characters again.