So, I haven’t written a single word in the month of August. And no, blog posts do not count.
In fact, writing has been very spotty for me in 2015. In the beginning half of the year, I managed to finish my 2014 NaNoWriMo novel, even if I did start to hate it near the end. Since then I’ve worked on small projects, all leading up to the latest novel idea I’ve come up with. I like this idea and I do feel good about it, but that hasn’t been enough to get my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard. Somehow, other things have continued to take precedence all month. These are mostly silly things that take the form of entertainment rather than responsibilities, but I’ve been more interested in them than I have been in writing.
This writer’s block has gotten so bad in the past month that I’ve found it difficult to sit down each week and write these advice posts. After all, if I’m not actually writing, then what kind of advice can I possibly impart to you?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the only advice I can offer you at the moment is to sometimes take a break from writing. Read things, watch things, go on vacation, have weekend outings, play games on your smartphone. That’s what I’ve been doing! And yes, I do feel immensely guilty, but I’ve been fighting against that feeling and I suggest that you do as well. Sometimes we deserve a break, even it’s from the thing we claim to love the most. When you’ve finished all these frivolous or not-so-frivolous activities, your writing will be here waiting for you. Writing is good at waiting.
— Jet Fuel Blog Editor, Mary Egan
