I didn't think I would ever have to utter those two horrible words here but it seems I am suffering through a bout of writer's block. It's almost as painful to write as it is to think about. I'm sure many of you disagree with this ailment considering I am writing these words here which must mean I don't have a complete block.
But alas dear, invisible reader it seems I have been able to write everything else as of late with the exception of Chapter 22 in my second book. I'm not sure why I am struggling so much.
You see, this chapter should be the easiest thing in the world for me to write. I have been waiting to write this scene since I planned it out a year and a half ago but now that it's here I can't get past this big blank wall that seems to be standing in my way.
So how am I going to fix it? Well for starters, I'm writing here in hopes that I will get some creative juices flowing or at least trick this blank wall in my head into disappearing for a little bit. I think I've been so busy planning these last few chapters lately that I haven't left room for any of the magic that happens when letters become words and words become sentences and sentences become paragraphs that eventually become chapters. Instead, I've broken everything down so methodically that I don't think I've left room for this magic. This person I've become the last few weeks doesn't even feel like me anymore. Sure I usually plan and organize and think about what it is going to happen. But I also let my imagination take over and change things and make them better than I ever could've planned for. I think I've gotten myself into a case of trying too hard when I just need to let the words and ideas flow naturally like a river or a stream and not a bathroom faucet that is forced on and off. Since I've found the problem I think I am going to prescribe some Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream, Dust to Dust by The Civil Wars on repeat, and some much needed time to let my creative stream flow without man-made prodding and without interruption in the hopes that I can tear down the walls of my writer's block and continue moving forward. And in thinking about all of this, I can't help thinking about a book I just finished which deserves some mention here. I just finished The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by: Neil Gaiman and I must say I am still thoroughly lost in the world he created. I remember Amy Hempel, a spectacular author, beginning her reading in NYC by sharing something she wished she'd written and I must say, this new work that Gaiman has given to the world is something that I wish I would have created. But alas, that story was not meant to find me. I was meant to find a different story, one that haunts me during the day and at night and in the shower and the car and in class and at work and this is the story I am determined to finish before summer. So I'll leave here with a quote from Neil Gaiman: "Words save our lives, sometimes."
xoxo
K.K.