This month has mainly consisted of gathering material for my Amber Oak film series as well as developing a very solid marketing plan. And although it has been crazy busy, this one thought has broken through my preoccupied mind. Writer’s block. Now, yes, due to this month’s packed schedule, I had very little time to write which occasionally led to the inevitable writer’s block.
And although I’ve spoken about writer’s block more often than any other topic, I thought of a new approach to it. See, the phrase, “Writer’s block” can often have a derogatory meaning to it. I’ve heard some writers say that it doesn’t exist and it’s really just procrastination, but there are others, like myself, who don’t believe that.
What if we called it something else? What if we take these blocks as an opportunity to get to know our characters or world even more? I’m not talking about brainstorming or even re-outlining, I’m talking about just putting down the writing utensil or computer and think. Imagine ourselves being that specific character or even a sub-character in the world we’re trying to develop.
I started doing this a few weeks ago and when I went back to my story, I had such a refreshed perspective on my story. So, I want to challenge all my writer friends out there, stop saying “writer’s block” and instead say that you’re developing your relationship with a character or exploring your world. Not only will it sound like you are really getting into your craft, but it will give a positive twist to a normally negative phrase.