I don't believe in writer's block. Every day I sat down to write I thought I wouldn't make it. I always sit down with sweaty hands and wonder if I'll be able to put a word on paper. So I think writer's block is a different way of saying "fear." And it's just another excuse for not following through.
I find the process a bit easier if I have half an hour to spare the evening before. I reread the last page or so of what I wrote last time. Then I meditate - I'm not the best meditator in the world, but it helps sometimes, even for just 10 or 20 minutes.
A run or a long walk is just as good. When I'm done, I find that my mind has been playing around with what I last wrote. Writing always starts slow in the morning, but be patient with yourself. Sometimes, usually after an hour or two of writing, it can actually fly - maybe you know the feeling. Those euphoric days when the words just seem to flow through you.
But we all have days when that blank screen mocks us, and every word written feels like we're trudging through a swamp. Those are the days when you're like, 'Damn, I'm wasting my time here. Maybe I should do something more constructive, like...find lost Tupperware lids.”
Whatever you do - don't do it. It becomes so much easier not to text the next day and the day after. You hesitate and think you'll never write again. Make a cup of something hot and sit back down. Force yourself to sit and stare at the screen. Write one word and then another, even if it's like squeezing blood from your fingertips. Keep writing, one word at a time. keep staring
Some days you drag yourself through your writing time. Push yourself through the hard bits. What I found is that if you come back to this later, you can't tell the difference between the flying days and the trotting days. Sometimes I find even the sluggish days better read. You were slower, more careful.
There's another thing that freezes writing - the need to get it absolutely perfect. The confidence we feel when we allow a part of us to sit mockingly on our shoulders.
Banish that self. It doesn't have to be perfect. Don't think about getting published. Don't worry about what other people will think. Just think about graduation. You can fix almost anything in the editing phase. But if you don't finish, there's nothing to fix.
