Why Writers Won't Write

I thought I would start off the day with a tongue twister title and a visual imagine of what goes on in the minds of some writers.  There are many reasons why writers won't write.  So many dragons to slay each day as we travel that path to publication.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to get the words out of your head and onto paper or computer screen?  Do you wake up with the idea for your next great novel, only to lose it as you stumble out of bed?  Maybe you are like me where you sometimes come up with a great beginning and a great ending to a story but it's the middle that hides from you?

Sometimes just the thought of staring at that blank piece of paper makes me reluctant to start.  It becomes a wall that seems impossible to get around.  So I do the first thing that comes to my mind.  I simply write the words, "I don't know what to write", on that pesky white sheet and suddenly I have destroyed one dragon standing between me and a productive day.

Sometimes the opposite is true.  Sometimes I have so much crammed up in this head of mine that I can't push any words onto paper.  While writer's block can be frustrating. sometimes all I need to do is slow down and take a breath.  Grab a hot cup of tea.  Listen to some music.  Read what I wrote before I skidded to a halt and give myself permission to take a moment for myself.  There's another dragon beaten.  Writing isn't a race, even when I have deadlines, and sometimes my greatest work comes from simple reflection.

There will always be distractions waiting to trap me.  People, places, or things fighting for my attention.  But when I give away my writing time, I devalue myself as a writer.  I tell others that my place in this world isn't as important as everyone else.  So I make sure I carve out a little time each day just for me. Those who love and support me know to leave me alone with my words.  Wow, another dragon slain!

Sometimes it's just the internal perception of who writers think they should be that actually prevents them from writing.  The competition today for writers is fierce and the expectations are more demanding than ever.  If I sit around wondering if I will ever achieve the success of authors like Stephen King or J K Rowling then I can quite possibly scare myself into "writer's immobility".   

Whenever I struggle with my writing, I need to remind myself that I am one of a kind and I only need to write the stories that is in my own heart to tell...not to try and mimic the stories of others who have gone before me.  That way I can watch the dragons pile up and I see only a clear path before me...