Sometimes you have a few "good" writing days in a row. You know, those that make you think, "Why don't I do this more often?"
And then you've got those ultra-sucky days that make you bang your head on the keyboard and think, "WHY DO I TORTURE MYSELF LIKE THIS WHO'S FREAKING IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAY!?"
Yep, You've guessed it. I've had one of those "WHY DO I TORTURE..." kinda weeks.
I have pulled out the laptop every day this week in a desperate attempt to write SOMETHING and not a single time have I been able to even write the first word.
What do I blame?
My unwillingness to try harder.
Some people blame Writer's Block when they should be blaming "Writer's Apathy". There is a major difference.
If you try hard enough, and I mean the kind of try where you unhook the internet and sit at the kitchen table with a coffee and your laptop and truly focus for a while, SOMETHING will come of it.
When I say SOMETHING, I don't nescessarily mean SOMETHING witty or cute or perfect. In fact, often times, when you're struggling with block or laziness, all you need to do is clean out the garbage. You can dispose of the unwanted, useless scenes later. For now, bring them into the story, if that's what they want.
Don't wait for the perfect scene to come along. Perfection comes with editing. There is not a single writer out there who always has perfect first drafts.
Which brings me to another point: FIRST DRAFTS ARE MEANT TO BE MESSY.
We often forget this as we work. As humans, we want perfection. It's how we were created. The world was perfect before we messed it it.
We cant even fix it. Someone else has to fix it for us. (And yes, I'm comparing salvation to the work of an editor.)
So. IT AIN'T GONNA BE PERFECT. Go ahead and get over it. :)
Go write! Seriously.
