Writer’s Block: I Don’t Get It.

WRITER'S BLOCK

I’m often asked how I deal with writer’s block. I’ll tell you the truth: I don’t get it. I mean I don’t even get the question, because I don’t get writer’s block.

I have scores of folders in hanging files that contain hundreds of ideas just waiting to be explored. I save emails and web pages in One Note on my laptop and phone, and I’m constantly writing notes to myself on little scraps of paper, a notes widget on my phone, or my iPad. I look out my back sliding door and see a dead tree leaning up against a live tree and immediately have 17 ideas about how that applies to life circumstances. These are all natural writing prompts. They’re all I need. In fact, they’re often too much.

I don’t mean to discourage writers who suffer from writer’s block, but I often deal with an antithetical affliction: writer’s glut. I have a lot of ideas, but not all of them are good or usable. My brain often feels like it’s on overload, and I realize I need to focus. I’m also an idea hoarder. It’s tremendously difficult for me to throw anything away. I might need that idea for a book or blog or article some day. I’m wondering if I’m alone or if other writers have the same struggles.

I’d love to hear from you. Which of these two writer’s plights torment you most? How do you deal with it?

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