Just do something. Write what you are thinking about. Get started. The words will flow from there.

At the risk of being way too meta, this post is about writer’s block and trouble thinking because I have writer’s block and am having trouble thinking. How’s that for staying relevant to the journey?

I am sick. Not as sick as Calvin who was sent home yesterday with a 100+ fever but I’ve been low level sick for over a week now and I’m quite sick of it….

That brings me back to a desire to write but the struggle to do so. Part of my goal with EntreBurnor is to challenge myself to write more. I have been somewhat sporadic in publication so I may challenge myself further to write daily or specific days each week. I’ve found that increasing limitations can sometimes spawn more creativity, as though the act of meeting requirement or, more likely, overcoming obstacles can lead to more and better ideas.

Then, there are days like this where words are only dragged, kicking and screaming from my psyche, so I end up writing about writing, which strikes me as rather lazy.

There are two ways I’ve learned to address writer’s block. 

First, the problem is likely several lines back. I wish I could remember where this observation came from. Once I remember I’ll update this post. Essentially, if you hit a wall in your writing, take a few steps back or look a few lines back. Then, you will either see a problem and be able to fix it or regain some momentum by reading, editing, and re-writing that will launch you past your block. This is especially true when writing a thesis driven argument or a plot. When I’m writing stories, if I don’t know where I want the characters to go next, then revisiting the last few steps will reveal potential changes. 

Second, just write something. Momentum is an enormous force for personal habits and productivity. Getting started on that blank page can be the biggest hurdle. We make ourselves believe that whatever we put down must be perfect. It won’t be. In fact, it’ll probably be terrible. That’s fine. Go with it, keep writing, drawing, painting, etc. Then, go back and revisit, rewrite, and edit. More important than perfection is productivity. You cannot make perfect what does not exist. 

Sketching and editing are important parts of creating and should not be overlooked. It is perfectly fine to start imperfectly and edit. I’m reading Hackers and Painters, a collection of essays by Paul Graham and he writes about Leonardo Da Vinci: “Leonardo more or less invented the sketch, as a way to make drawing bear a greater weight of exploration.” You don’t have to be perfect at the outset, instead draft, explore, sketch, edit. [I strongly recommend reading this book – no matter what life you’re pursuing – and reading Paul Graham’s essays online. You’ll see growth, evolution, and change in his thoughts and writings – marks of a strong mind – and they will always make you think.]

So here we are. An essay on writing through writer’s block while writing through writer’s block. 

Thoughts? Too meta? How do you get through thought blocks?