by Peggy Bechko
Writers have problems.
Big surprise, right?
Well, the life of the self-employed and self-motivated can be very much different from going to an office at given hours. Freeing in many senses, but then there are the other problems.
For example when a writer is confronting emotional issues ranging from simply not being in the mood to depression or just reacting to distractions like a dog fixated on squirrels, it can signal lots of problems or merely a bump in the road.
If you find you’re hardly ever ‘in the mood’ to write whatever you have before you maybe you need to rethink this whole writer thing. Perhaps it isn’t for you after all. No harm, no foul, just think about it.
If you’re incredibly easily distracted it’s another problem to think about. If there are problems going on in your life maybe it would help to deal with those first or even to go see a counselor of some species. If there are ALWAYS problems going on in your life that prevent you from writing, then really, seek some kind of help.
Though personally I have to say I find writing can help with mental blips. Going into another world of your creation, using focus, putting words down in neat rows can help to get you moving forward. It may not be easy to just start writing and it might be crap what you throw on the blank page, but it would well be of great help in getting past those blips and bumps.
Another problem writers have are impediments to our writing. I mean things happen, right? Your kid broke his leg and you have to run him to the emergency room. No writing today. The way things are going with climate change maybe a forest fire is heading your way. Maybe no writing for a couple of weeks. Maybe your computer crashed big time. God knows how long it will take to get it fixed. Maybe YOU broke your arm and are having a helluva time typing. Six to eight weeks to heal. The dog got bitten by God knows what – run for the vet! Hmmm.
Okay, okay, things like that are hard to dodge and they can get you off track for a while, but think about it, are you letting other, smaller things intrude on your writing time, all the time? Like the neighbor dropping over, or the phone ringing, or paying too much time to texting? If you want to continue writing you’re going to have to get the upper hand and take steps to ensure your writing time is protected.
But you’ve been told this before I’m sure, in many ways, on many blogs so I won’t go into detail on that subject.
Writers. We have problems. We are problems. If there’s a writer in your life be patient, supportive and maybe occasionally lock us in a little room where we can do nothing else but write. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated!
Peggy Bechko is a Contributing Editor to TVWriter™. You can learn more about her HERE.