I am a writer. Like I said in my previous article about writing, I have always been a writer. I've been writing short stories since I was 8 and novels since I was 15. I'm a creative writing major and have finished writing four novels and I'm not even 21. However, I am currently working on a project with a close friend of mine, and man, it is hard.
Writing in general is a hard skill to master. I have always been a believer that one cannot simply learn how to write, but that one who writes can become a better writer over time. Now, I'm not saying that I have mastered it over the 12 years I've been writing, but I like to think that I've developed a few tricks. For example, writing every day. (That's every New York Times Best-Selling Author's number 1 tip for aspiring authors.) There's also reading often, staying organized and writing things down in a notepad when you're out and about so you don't forget.
Normally, I'm really good at keeping up with those tasks, especially writing every day. I've been known to write 10,000 words in one sitting before. I once finished an 80,000-word novel in a week for a creative writing final. (I got an A on that final, by the way.) I sort of made myself "office hours" in order to make sure I could write that much. But with this project, it's like something's blocking me.
Writer's block is a terrible thing that doesn't hit me often. I have my "office hours" and weekly writing sessions with my friend. I try to read at least one book a week. Even if I write for only 30 minutes, it's something. But recently, I haven't been able to write in almost two weeks. Even writing my articles for Odyssey is hard.
Being a writer and not being able to write is one of the worst feelings. It makes me feel like a failure of a writer. It makes me feel like after all these years, I'm not an actual writer. It doesn't matter what I've written; it's like if I can't write now, nothing matters.
Something that I've learned from my favorite authors is that everyone gets hit with writer's block—it's just a part of being a writer. I've also learned that it can happen for weeks at a time, or months. The last thing I've learned is that the only way to cure writer's block is to push through it and write something. It doesn't matter how bad it might turn out—that's what editing is for. What matters is that something was written.
I've been slacking the last few weeks on my "office hours" and due to scheduling conflicts, my friend and I haven't been able to meet. The only way to get back on the horse and to kick the writer's block is to write. Wish me luck.
