Feel Free To Write
I've heard the term "writer's block" thrown around. It's one of those terms that seems to be self-explanatory, but I wonder if anyone really understands. Writer's block is when someone who wants to write can't. Right? But that doesn't quite explain it. I can write, I just can't write what I want to write. The phrase is said almost like a diagnosis and I've seen some people and sites treat it that way with "cures." It's certainly not that simple either.
I find it hard to write. I used to not find it hard at all. When I was in high school, scenes, vignettes, and whole stories wouldn't stop flying out of my brain. I worked on several projects at a time and felt like I was swimming in possibilities for each.
Now, "block" really does feel apt. Not like I'm blocked by a wall or locked door, but like my creativity is frustratingly clogged. Like a stuffy nose. I have no lack of stories to write (or air to breathe). I have so much I want to share and explain through writing, but my means is somehow not available to me.
And, like when you're sick, you might wake up one morning and find you can breathe perfectly again, to your surprise. You maybe won't know why, you probably hope you're getting better, but whether you are or not, you jump up and get done what you can in that lucky time.
I woke up feeling that today. I laid in bed and thought about writing. I thought about possible stories. It was like taking a few tentative breaths through my nose to see if I really could breathe again.
When I found that ideas were flowing, I got on my computer and started writing. I kept writing. I'm still writing. (I'm taking advantage of it to make this post.)
I hope I'm "better" and I never suffer writer's block again. That seems very unlikely. More realistically, I hope that I learn from this and find ways to cope with and lessen the impact of this creative clog.
Until then, whatever happens, keep writing, keep breathing.