Avoiding the Block

It’s more than an addiction.

It’s who I am.

I have to write every day.

What happens if I don’t?

I have a hard time getting back into “author mode”.

The fact is, the more days that go by, the more hindered I become and the longer it takes to get back in my routine. I realized this a few days ago after staring at the blinking cursor on my screen for over two hours without typing one single sentence.

Coming close to throwing my beloved computer across the room and vowing never to write again (I’m not dramatic at all) a moment of clarity slapped me in the face—nearly twelve days had ticked by and the closest thing to a sentence I’d written was signing my name to a credit card slip. I’d been on vacation for a week and jumped right back to my day job without so much as even picking up the lap top. It’s no wonder I couldn’t think.

When I tell people this, I usually get the you-must-be-crazy look but, I write like I read—multiple stories at once. I can’t help it. It works for me. Currently I’m working on the third installment for my Night series, a short Christmas themed story for Beachwalk Press, and two full novels. If I become stuck on a story line or the characters are going in a completely different direction than what I planned and I find myself fighting them, I take a break and open up another WIP. Most of the time, the conflict between us is resolved by the time I get back. Yes, the characters always win.

Music helps my writing flow more than anything.

I messaged a fellow author confessing my predicament and she wisely informed me that music inspires her…something I already knew works for me, but with the fear of falling deeper into a life of only sitting at the keyboard with my fingers positioned on the little black tabs without moving, I’d failed to think of it.

A few new songs have been downloaded and set to repeat on my phone. Thanks to the advice of Jaye Shields and my new favorite musicians; Emporers, Pete Yorn and Imagine Dragons, I’ve moved past the torture of not being able to pen the next scene in my stories. Also I’ve learned no matter where I am, or what is going on in my life I need to write. Even if ten minutes is the most time I can squeeze in, I have to do it.

Every.

Single.

Day.