As a writer, you're constantly creating new worlds in your head. You create new characters, new settings, and new scenarios in your mind. It's a never-ending world of creativity. Sometimes it feels like you're never alone and other times it feels like you're the loneliest person in the world. But what actually happens when a writer sits down to actually put these thoughts into words? How does someone write about a person that's made up in their head or describe a world they've imagined? Here's the reality of it when it comes to writing...
First, a wave of inspiration hits you.
Typically this will happen to a writer at the most inconvenient times. It could be a two in the morning, right when they're on the cusp of falling asleep or it could be when they're at the airport, using a public restroom. It's quite frankly the most frustrating part about being a writer; you can't force it. It will happen when it happens.
The ideal thing for a writer to do when this happens is pull out their phone and start typing in their notes so they don't lose that idea. Does that happen? Not always.
When we do actually sit down to write, we've got nothing.
Writer's block never fails. It's like that one spider that shows up in your bathroom once a week and no matter how many times you try to kill it, it still manages to escape just to show up the following week. So now you're sitting in front of this computer screen with a blank document and you know what you want to write, but can't figure out how to get the words out.
There is a lot of anger and frustration over not being able to get it across. A lot.
Now you're pissed off that you can't write one opening sentence without critiquing every word you write. And now you're even more pissed off that you're getting pissed off in the first place. And like clockwork, the words you do manage to get out are angry and bitter. Great. Time to delete the whole thing.
Maybe this writing thing isn't for you, you tell yourself.
Since you can't even manage to get an opening line out, you're doubting your abilities to even write. Maybe you just weren't meant to be a writer? No, that's a load of crap. This is what you were born to do.
Close your laptop and give up until the next day.
Coming to the decision that you're still too angry to be a writer and knowing that if you try to force words out, you're going to aggravate yourself even more, you ultimately decide to close your laptop and wait until your next wave of inspiration hits you. You tell yourself no matter what time it is, you will write.
