A 12 Step Program for Stuck Writers
Hi, my name is Becky and I am a stuck writer.
They say admitting you have a problem is the first step toward freedom. Here are the 12 steps to go from stuck to strong.
1. Use your full name. There is no need for anonymity in this journey. Desiring such is a symptom of fear in this forum. Sometimes you have to chase fear away with your words, even if they’re shaky. Use your full name.
2. Make a statement. “I am a writer.” Sometimes we need to decide on a path. The road does not come to you. You have to set your foot down and move in that direction. Saying this is a step on the road of writing.
3. Let it stand alone. Offer no explanation, no apologies, no subtext that minimizes the statement. Make a decision and stick with it. Do you want to write? Do you actually write? Answer yes and make a statement.
4. Be prepared. Know what you’re going to say when people ask the inevitable question, “What have you written?” The truth is it really doesn’t matter what you say here, as long as you heed the advice in step 3. Just tell the truth. “I write a blog.” “I’m writing a novel.” “I journal.” “I write jingles to get my kid to eat his broccoli.” Knowing how you will respond helps alleviate the resistance. You have to come to a battle prepared.
5. Admit it is a battle. Now that the introductions are out of the way, there is the need to recognize just how challenging this can be. You don’t need to confess the deepest darkest challenges to every person you encounter. Find a person or group of people who you trust and who understand the struggle. This is the place to talk strategy, weaknesses, and battle plans.
6. Gear up. You need stuff to make this writer’s life happen. Remarkably it’s less than you think because there is a difference between needs and wants. Start with the needs. To write I need a writing utensil and something to write on (ie. pen and paper). Those are the needs. You can look at some of the wants (computer, blog, classes, writing group, specialized software), but when it all comes down to it the less gear you use when you’re on the battlefield, the easier it is to do your job. Save the wants for a time when the battle doesn’t seem to rage. Grab your gear and get going.
7. Do it. Now’s the time to use that gear. It’s time to put pen to paper and write. The beauty here is that it doesn’t matter so much what you write, just that you do it. Nothing fancy. No tricks. Words on the page.
8. Keep going. Don’t get caught up in what you think you should be doing. Stopping to evaluate, read-up on the subject, or waiting for inspiration has derailed many writers here. Remember the goal here is to write. Keep doing that.
9. Get help. Once you are able to keep the writing going, you can begin to look for help. If you’re stuck, try some things to get through writer’s block. If you need technical help with blogging, seek it out. If you feel like you need a few more tools in your belt, get them. But don’t stop writing. I’ve stopped here before thinking I will go right back to the writing part. It’s harder than you think. It’s easier to stay on a train then it is to jump back on a moving one or wait at the station until one feels like coming along. Get help but don’t stop writing.
10. Push harder. Right around this step people tend to get overconfident or hit a wall. Either way, the answer is the same: work through it. If you are amazed at your progress patting yourself on the back you’re down a hand for writing. Keep your fingers on the keys or the pen to the page. If you are facing a wall that makes you want to hold your head in your hands, pick up your head. Keep your fingers on the keys or the pen to the page. That point of fatigue or overconfidence is exactly when you need to push through the pain to whatever is on the other side.
11. Celebrate. If you get through to the other side, whatever that looks like for you, celebrate. Maybe it was the loss of inspiration and you drew the muse back in. Maybe it was being stuck on a certain number of words and you broke through to the next thousand (or ten). Maybe it was a loss of direction, but you found your way. Celebrate the success and keep going.
12. And repeat. If you’ve gotten to this point, congratulations. But don’t stop. Don’t fizzle out now. These steps are not a straight line, getting you from point a to point b. They are a circle, a cycle of the process you need to go through to keep going as a writer. Keep the momentum and go through the steps again and again.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
This article was inspired by I Am A Writer by Jeff Goins (Jeff Goins) which made me realize that I am a writer and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield which made me realize I may need to fight for it.
