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Writer's Block Or Is it Just Procrastination?

I have been meaning to sit down and write an article for a couple of weeks now, something to keep my mind functioning and my creativity flowing. However, I find I am coming up with all kinds of excuses for not doing so; and some of them are even true. I have a shindig that I am putting on tomorrow for some friends who are in town from Scotland, my house needs cleaning, I have laundry to do, and I was up late last night. All true, but they are still excuses! My company won't be here until 6:30 tomorrow night, I have kids that can help clean and do laundry, and that nap can wait for a couple of hours. Truth is, I thought I had been dealing with that black cloud, also known as "writers block", but in reality maybe I am just procrastinating?

I was surfing the Internet the other day when I came upon this quote: "Procrastination – the art of keeping up with yesterday." Whoa! Wait a minute; this seems to describe the way I have been working lately. How can I be cutting edge, a voice of the future, the "Red Pen Baroness", when I am spinning my wheels, running around and trying to keep up with yesterday? Sound familiar? So where do you find the motivation and inspiration to push yourself forward beyond this frustration?

Robert Cormier, former newspaper reporter, columnist, and Margaret A. Edwards Award winning author, gives the following advise: "Read, read, read, write, write, write. Every successful writer I know is a great reader. It’s also important to write regularly. Discipline is as important as talent, perhaps even more important – a lot of books don’t get written simply because talented people never sit down and write". The key is discipline. I love to read and I love to write, but I am not always disciplined about it.

So today I am taking Mr. Cormier's advise; not only have I been online reading articles of interest to me, but I am allowing myself the luxury of writing just for the pleasure of it. Today is all about the beauty of the written word. Maybe tomorrow I will have an epiphany and think of something profound that will need writing about. Until then I am agreeing with Robert Cormier, "The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say a brain surgeon." So when you hit that wall, don't give up. Read a book, look at the latest ezine articles online, go to the mall or a coffee shop and "people watch". I'll bet in no time, you will have all kinds of material you can write about...so, whatever you do, don't forget your pen and your notebook!

Happy writing!

Laura Back

 

 


 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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