Writer’s Paralysis

Posted by Guest Writer in Strategies      11 comments

Jul
27

I would like to propose an alternative to the often discussed concept of writer’s block: writer’s paralysis, from which I believe I am currently suffering. Never mind that I invented the term and am diagnosing myself with it; I am positive it exists, and I have fallen victim to its powers. Perhaps you can relate, or perhaps you too have the symptoms.

See, when I think of the term writer’s block, I envision a person staring at a blank computer screen with zombie-like eyes, a head filled with nothing but a coffee buzz, and completely void of any inspiration. That is not my problem. Yes, I always have a steady stream of coffee slightly muddling my thought process, but I am definitely not lacking on the creative musings; in fact just the opposite. I have multiple ideas floating around between my ears. I have a whole book ready to submit, I have begun a new one by writing chapters silently to myself while I drive down the Mopac, and I have mentally written an entire children’s book about an obese cat, illustrations included. The problem is, none of it is going on paper, and the book isn’t getting sent out because I am spending my mental energy on other things. Annoying, stupid adult things—fears, worries, anxieties, money, bills, and an ongoing dispute with my seemingly incompetent health care provider. Gross. I am paralyzed.

My mornings go like this. Instead of waking up, pouring my delicious cup of Folgers Columbian and then sitting down to write the most beautiful and life-changing prose of all time, I wake up, sit down, stop breathing, look at Craigslist, squeeze out some freelance work, and completely avoid anything creative at all while my coffee turns cold and putrid. See, I have the inspiration, I have the material, I have the ideas, but I am completely stuck when it comes to following through. My brain is too overloaded with stressed-out crap to produce anything worthy.

I have been talking about this a lot with a friend of mine who also works from home and does random freelance jobs. She too finds herself sucked into this all-consuming work-thought related vortex, and finds herself avoiding her passions and the things that get her excited about life. We have talked about ways we can break this annoying, paralyzing cycle, and continue working on the things we really care about.  Personally, I know my first step is to make a mental note of how I am using my time.  Often when I am overwhelmed or worried, I will just want to turn off my brain and think about anything else, so I soon find myself typing in this fateful web address—facebook.com.  Cue Beethoven’s Fifth.  What a waste of time.  Do I really need to look at wedding photos of the girl I had one class with in college?

Social media is just way too easy to distract yourself form the truth at hand.  It needs to end. (Side note—do you think Mark Zuckerberg wastes time looking at Facebook when he is trying to avoid actually working on … Facebook? If I see him prancing around the streets of Austin, I will ask, and then punch him for creating the single most distracting website known to man, and then ask to borrow ten dollars.)

So these are the things I have been thinking about to help cure myself of writer’s paralysis and get the good stuff flowing again.

1. Seriously stop procrastinating through social media.
2. Specify a certain amount of time to look for work if needed, and then move on to other things.
3. Wake up earlier, and get necessary tasks done as soon as possible, like calling my healthcare provider for the 900^th time, or writing that article I am not looking forward to.
4. Exercise more and chill out. (Black Swan sweaty candle lit yoga anyone?)
5. And most important: Allow myself time to write for myself.  Not an article, not a cover letter, but what I want to write.  My ideas, my dreams, my future New York Times Bestsellers…just saying.   This may be an hour a day, or all Saturday morning, I have yet to decide.  But what I do know is this: I must turn these ideas into reality, and quick.  Because it was this kind of writing that sent me down this career path in the first place, and it is this kind of writing that makes my soul sparkle brighter than Richard Simmons’ best leotard.

I hope you are not suffering from writer’s paralysis, block, or whatever it may be.  But if you are, try to focus, breath, and make time for your art. If all else fails, go out for queso and margaritas with your funniest friends, because that can fix just about anything.

Katie’s work has been featured in Austin Lifestyle Magazine, Redbook Magazine, Thrillist.com, and Homerun.com. She is also excited to be contributing to the new Austin publication BE Mag, launching its first issue this November. Prior to moving to Austin, Katie worked as an associate producer for an NBC affiliate in South Florida.