What keeps us from writing?
When we talk about avoiding writing, it begs the question, what is keeping us from writing?
The big question
Everyone talks about writer's block, but what about when we avoid sitting down to write?
I’ll be the one to admit it. There are some days when it just isn't in me to sit down and get into the writing mindset. Sometimes it’s just the day, the time of day, or even my mood in general.
On the other hand, there are times when I just can’t write a scene.
What do you do?
There is no solution that works for everyone.
Somedays, I get to a point in a story when there are too many avenues that a character could roam down. Or, I have too many factors to consider when writing a scene that I freeze, stuck at a crossroads. For myself, at least, I wouldn’t describe this as writer's block.
I would describe this as voiding writing when I have the time to sit and do it.
For myself, I need to take time to play out scenarios in my mind in order to move forward or I need to reread what I’ve written while looking at it with a new perspective.
Reasons we avoid writing
There are so many reasons to explore in regards to why we avoid writing, so let's just look at a few.
- Too busy- Each of us lives a busy life. Family, friends, work, downtime, and so much more come into play when it comes to facing your writing. At the end of a long day, after all is said and done, it is easy to avoid sitting down to write when you have already done so much during the day.
- Overthinking- How many times can we as writers get stuck in our own heads? After all, we have a lot of factors to take into consideration when we write. We are thinking of not only what will create an entertaining story, but what will wow readers in the process. This creates an easy way to trap writers into overthinking as they write.
No matter the reason
No matter the reason you have for avoiding that time to sit down and write, just remember why you are writing your piece in the first place.
Life gets in the way. Our energy and moods can get in our way. But, in the end, it's important to remember to unstick yourself. When you make that promise to yourself, you are ensuring that avoidance isn’t turning into stopping writing altogether.
