What To Do About Writer's Block
You’re standing at the foot of a mountain.
Snow is whipping around your body. Your pack is heavy and the ice below your feet is slick. Plumes of frozen breath cloud your vision.
You’ve spent months preparing for this climb. Now all you have to do is take the first step.
But you freeze.
Fear overcomes you. Instead of climbing, you re-check your pack. You take a swig of water. It’s getting late… should you wait until tomorrow? And you’re hungry! You can’t climb on an empty stomach.
As the excuses pile up, the mountain grows taller.
—
Now I’ve never climbed a mountain, but Chapter 5 of Great Founders Write feels like Mt. Everest. The theme: Storytelling.
I’ve been stuck at the foot of this mountain for over a week. There’s so much to say about storytelling… where do I start? And how will I ever say it better than masters storytellers like John Truby, Donald Miller, and Ellen Upton?
I’m inspired by their great books on storytelling (read my summaries on LinkedIn). I’m also intimidated.
How to Beat Writer’s Block
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned through 5 years of professional writing, it’s how to beat writers block.
It’s simple actually. Hard, but very, very simple.
When you get stuck, just start.
That’s it. Starting is the cure for every case of writer’s block. It works for other creative endeavors too.
I’ve become a fan of Ship30for30.com — a monthly writing cohort where each participant writes an atomic essay (250 words or less) for 30 days straight.
This program makes you immune to writers block. You learn to ship your writing every day. You learn to just start.
This short essay is my attempt to ship it. It’s my first step up the mountain. I don’t know what I’ll find at the top, but that’s not my concern right now.
All I have to do is start.