Writer's Block

In my much younger years, I first heard the term 'writer's block.' I assumed that a writer's block was an implement used for writing, like a quill pen or an inkwell. Perhaps archaic and definitely not used currently (at least by anyone I knew), but certainly necessary for writing. It must be a rectangular object that sits on a desk and serves some purpose in the writing process. Or, my imagination surmised, it could be a special seat used for writing - a block that you sit upon. I wondered if I would ever get one. Unfortunately I have not yet acquired a physical 'writer's block,' but I certainly have lots of the conceptual kind.

I don't actually have writer's block, because I am not a writer.  That's right. I'm not a famous person with published novels who gets paid to write.  I don't even aspire to be someone like that. Those people are highly intelligent, supremely motivated, and generally brilliant. I'm just a silly girl who enjoys writing as a hobby. It's not my job. It's nothing serious. It's just a way to maintain my sanity in this crazy, ever changing world. I write to process my thoughts. To examine each event that has occurred in my life, compare it to past experiences, and seek the meaning behind it. I only started this blog because my handwriting is too awful for a paper diary,  . . . and because I do too much editing.

So as I sit here contemplating the half-dozen half finished blog posts I'm stuck on, I can't have writer's block. I'm just still working on them.  And when I realized that my best posts tend to be about what's on my mind, I also realized that what I'm actually thinking about is writing.  I know that's getting a little 'meta' for some people, but hey, you guys have stuck with me this far on my writing journey.  So I thought I'd take a minute to share a bit of the process.

The Idea
Most of my blog posts are born as in idea in my crazy mind. I ruminate on it for a few hours or a few days and mull over ideas and angles.  Then finally, it hits me!  I see the perfect way to approach a subject, or find the perfect quote to introduce a topic, or stumble across the perfect example to illustrate a concept.

The Draft
Then I dash for my computer and frantically commit my musings to text. It usually comes out in a burst and my husband often asks what I'm so excited about as I attack my keyboard. I may also ignore food, kids, pets, or nuclear explosions caused by a toddler in my living room when I am writing the first draft. My single focus is to get the 'meat' of the post onto the screen.

The Edits
While I write I pay attention to spelling and some grammar, but mostly it's about content. I never publish anything the day I write it. I have to get away, sleep on it, and seek other eyes before I consider it finished. As I re-read my posts, I edit for flow and clarity. I rarely need to massively re-write, but I often find myself filling in additional details or removing superfluous ones. I consider my audience (parents, Magic judges, friends) for each post and try to keep it relevant. Once I am comfortable with it, I ask someone else (usually my husband) to read it before I publish it. Another person's perspective can be difficult to hear sometimes, but it adds a lot to the final product.

The Finishout
My final steps before publication are to make it look the way I want it to look. I add formatting such as bold or italics. I add links to relevant content. I insert pictures if the post needs them. I preview the post to ensure that things came out the way I intended them to.  I add the tags that create the searchable categories for each post. Then, finally, I hit the 'publish' button. There's always a feeling of completeness that accompanies that button. As a completionist, it's the best part. My final step is to head over to facebook and add a post introducing the blog post, since most of my readers enter my blog that way.  (I do hope to skip that step at some point in the future, but for now, I'll go with what works.)

So it's funny, writing about writing. I started out frustrated because my ideas wouldn't come, and now I've filled up this page with passion and a post that I'm excited to share with you.  So you see I didn't have writer's block at all; I was just writing about the wrong stuff.