Dear Writer,
Do you know what I am thankful for? A late night for my almost-two-year-old and blackout curtains. Thanks to those two things, I had all the time in the world this morning to write.
And you know what happened? I got writer’s block.
Everything I tried to write wasn’t working. I tried to get myself motivated by reading other stories and things too. Finally, I did some editing on my next book. Which was productive and it helped me get moving. Then I wrote a short post to encourage other writers who are hit by writer’s block too.
Another tactic that I use to break writer’s block is to watch a show while trying to get words down. This may seem counter-intuitive, but I have found it effective for breaking up the pressure that I tend to put on myself that is creating writer’s block.
Today, I watched one of my favorites, Alone. It is a documentary series about survivalists who are put into remote locations. The goal is to stay out in the sticks longer than any of the other competitors. It is an interesting show as I was an Eagle Scout.
Today, what struck me that related to my writer’s block was a sense of fear. As writers, we experience fear in different ways. Sometimes we are afraid of what people will think of us. Other times, it is more about causing a stir that we didn’t want in life.
Whatever it might be, fear can take over and we end up with writer’s block.
Today, I think I was feeling a little bit of that fear. I have been at this for nearly five years now and I still get that unhealthy writing fear. But, it’s okay. This can drive us sometimes. Other times, it keeps us from doing the work we have within us.
What I have found true is how much fear creeps up when working on self-publishing. And if that is you today, I want to encourage you. You are not alone. If you want some feedback, feel free to reach out. I’d love to encourage you and let you know what I think.
This week, I am going to be away on Friday for a conference. I might get an email out to you in the middle of the week. But we will have to see. Either way, I hope you have a great week, and let me know if I can help in any way!
Thanks for reading!
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J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
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