There is a beast none of us like to call by name. It haunts the halls and stairwells of our ever growing, changing minds. It lurks in doorways to be sure there is no possibility of whimsical entry-- or escape. It pulls tight the curtains over the windows of our world view, blocking out the light. It snarls, snuffs, and settles in for a long stay. And its name?

Writer's Block (dun. dun. dun.)

Moving into my final year now as a student of literature and an avid writer, I've learned that the Big WB is nothing to be trifled with. It's key accomplices are the Silent Killer Procrastination and the Life-Sucking Apathy. In fact, the three of them teamed up on me just this week. Monday turned to Tuesday to Wednesday, and before I knew it the weekend had come and my article was due! But as I opened my screen to submit, nothing but a clean white page met me there. I hadn't written a word.

Sitting here, typing to meet my deadline, the thought of why I hadn't written earlier this week hit me-- first there was Block. Try as I might, I didn't feel a single idea I had was adequate to the task. I know each writer has been here before-- when the words begin to flow, one after another and then all of a sudden they stop. Or even worse, they never come to begin with and you've spent the whole day looking at the same piece of paper without anything to put on it. Cobwebs are forming on the frontal lobe, a family of dust bunnies has permanently moved into your hippocampus.

So, I let the days slip by as I used the excuse of "I'm waiting for a really good idea." Procrastination, you see? Allowing myself to slip into the routine of casually pushing my responsibilities off for one day more. One hour more. And if I had clicked "play" on that episode of Sherlock just a moment ago, Procrastination would have won!

But why did these monsters gain the upper hand? Ah-- Apathy. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word as, "Lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern." This may be the greatest enemy of any writer, artist, musician-- honestly, of any human. What is life if you cannot be enthusiastic about it? Isn't a lack of interest, and of genuine soul-deep connection, the chief characteristic of those four-walled, cubicled desk jobs we all so desperately want to avoid? It is. Yet each writer, myself obviously included, finds that they have reached a state of indifference and allowed their words to take the back burner yet again.

And, side note, I just tried to cook a meal on a back burner earlier-- it took twice as long and didn't even cook evenly, if that is any indication of what we shouldn't be doing with our work.

To beat the beast we must first find our passion again. We must dig deep, deep, deep to our center. Reach out, out, out to the souls around us. Connect on every level, Friends, and find what drives you. Apathy can only be defeated by Passion.

When Passion has sparked, Procrastination can be shoved off with a little bit of Organization. This might be my least favorite word; honestly, if you could see my house-- each room is home to one or two different projects, each half finished and waiting for the final touches. But take hold of your time, and don't let the day control you-- tell the hours what they will be doing. Before you know it one can slip away, and then another, and an entire day has gone without a single word being written (brush stroke being painted, bar being composed).

And finally, with the determination brought by an ever growing fire of Passion and kept alive within its organized bounds-- blow back the Beast Block. Write one word at a time if that's what it takes; he isn't an easy animal to conquer, after all. Keep a journal, join a team, try new mediums. But never let your guard down-- because the trio will creep back every so quietly and settle their wicked nests up again, intending to stay forever.

See, now. Just like that-- we've reached the end of the page, and an entire article has been written. Simply by remembering why I do this each week: because I am here, I exist in identity, because the powerful play goes on and I may contribute a verse (paraphrase Walt Whitman 166).