Every writer has heard of it and every writer dreads it: writer's block. Though this "malady" seems to strike word nerds across the board at some point, there is debate as to whether it is a real phenomenon or just a cheap excuse not to park your keester in front of your computer and get the keys hot. Truthfully, I have found myself on both sides of the argument at different times of my life. What is my current take on it? I am going to say that yes, in some cases, it is real.

Now we all know that many writers are epic procrastinators and frequently cite assorted reasons why they are unable to write. But beneath those reasons lie a mere lack of motivation and discipline. And then sometimes, life really does happen and you need to attend to real-world issues, which is perfectly understandable. That's called being a human.

However, I have experienced episodes of what I can only describe as "block." This block goes far beyond knowing exactly what I need to do next in my story and how to do it, but deciding to binge watch episodes of "My Haunted House" instead and eat my way through a bag of miniature Butterfingers. That's laziness. Pathetic laziness, often rooted in fear of an impending challenge.

But block? It sucks. You want to write, but for some reason your brain is like an overactive beagle puppy cooped up in the house on a rainy day; it can't sit still long enough to focus and does not want to do what it is told. Furthermore, and this in my opinion is the worst part, if you try to push through the block and force yourself to write, you end up with god-awful dribble on the paper in front of you that is so uninspiring, it is not worth pursuing.

It happened to me after I finished the first draft of my third novel. I knew what I had to do and wanted to do it, but I felt like I was walking through drying concrete. Like a good little trooper, I slogged through for a while, but finally I had to take a hiatus that lasted for several months. Those first seven chapters that I rewrote when I was struggling are quite frankly mediocre and need to be rewritten again.

I have no explanation for it, but I do remember feeling sort of empty, like a corn field that had been picked clean of its crop. Only husks of my creativity remained and I needed to wait for next year to "come back to life." I had given all I had to give and now I needed to rest and replenish.

Maybe this is just the natural ebb and flow of life at work. Everything after all comes in cycles, and I assume creativity is no different. Writing is satisfying but challenging work and maybe our brains really do need a break every now and again. Knowing when to retreat is just as valuable as knowing when to forge ahead. Retreating though does not mean you lost the war; you're just recooping and waiting to come out in full force again.

So yes, I am pretty sure that writer's block, despite usually being invoked as a lame excuse, is sometimes a bonafide issue. What it is not though, is a good reason to completely give up and abandon a project. Give yourself a rest if need be; and then when you "rise from the dead", give it everything you got!