Writing is hard.
That's it really. Writing is hard. In the course I teach at Syracuse University, one of the articles we use early on in the semester is called the 34 Things You're Doing Wrong, and the funny part is that list isn't exhaustive. There's easily another 34 things that could be added to it, because lot goes into a great post.
One of my best friends asked me recently, "Why don't you blog anymore?" And I didn't really have a great answer - a lot of reasons & excuses, but no one great answer. I've let other things get in the way so I just haven't. There's a list sitting in my phone of topics to explore, but they've never been started. I've written two blog posts on this blog this year, and not much anywhere else. Two years ago I had something like 40 guest blog posts published on sites like Huffington Post, Yahoo, and various blogs I read daily and found inspiring, and now, nothing.
What do you do when you have writer's block?
Sometimes it's just best to let it run its course if you have the luxury of time and the ability to go out and get inspired and take a breather. This is mostly what I've done this year by doing a lot of reading and observation. Participating in events and enjoying the connections made instead of always feeling the pressure of being under the gun when it comes to getting a post up. It's been nice.
However, most of the time you just have to push through it to get something done.
Recently I was inspired by a post by David Spinks, "When Writing Feels Wrong" and his last point was a good one, "Get comfortable with putting out shitty writing." It's incredibly easy to compare yourself to everyone else who's writing some really great stuff on the internet and let it get to you. Every post you write is not going to be a gem, it's just not, and that's OK. You don't have to put out crap, but if it's not 100% perfection, odds are no one will notice but you.
At some point your smalltime blog turns into something someone reads daily (if you're doing it right). Your words become read by passersby, scrutinized by the masses, and challenged by a few. Don't let it negatively affect you. Instead use it as potential future content. Just keep writing.
Give yourself a writing goal, go sit in a quiet space, and start your engines. Don't stop.
That's it really. Writing is hard. In the course I teach at Syracuse University, one of the articles we use early on in the semester is called the 34 Things You're Doing Wrong, and the funny part is that list isn't exhaustive. There's easily another 34 things that could be added to it, because lot goes into a great post.
One of my best friends asked me recently, "Why don't you blog anymore?" And I didn't really have a great answer - a lot of reasons & excuses, but no one great answer. I've let other things get in the way so I just haven't. There's a list sitting in my phone of topics to explore, but they've never been started. I've written two blog posts on this blog this year, and not much anywhere else. Two years ago I had something like 40 guest blog posts published on sites like Huffington Post, Yahoo, and various blogs I read daily and found inspiring, and now, nothing.
What do you do when you have writer's block?
Sometimes it's just best to let it run its course if you have the luxury of time and the ability to go out and get inspired and take a breather. This is mostly what I've done this year by doing a lot of reading and observation. Participating in events and enjoying the connections made instead of always feeling the pressure of being under the gun when it comes to getting a post up. It's been nice.
However, most of the time you just have to push through it to get something done.
Recently I was inspired by a post by David Spinks, "When Writing Feels Wrong" and his last point was a good one, "Get comfortable with putting out shitty writing." It's incredibly easy to compare yourself to everyone else who's writing some really great stuff on the internet and let it get to you. Every post you write is not going to be a gem, it's just not, and that's OK. You don't have to put out crap, but if it's not 100% perfection, odds are no one will notice but you.
At some point your smalltime blog turns into something someone reads daily (if you're doing it right). Your words become read by passersby, scrutinized by the masses, and challenged by a few. Don't let it negatively affect you. Instead use it as potential future content. Just keep writing.
Give yourself a writing goal, go sit in a quiet space, and start your engines. Don't stop.