I’ve been sitting here all afternoon waiting for some inspiration about what to write and nothing’s happening.
I’ve been cruising some of my favourite sites hoping for a flash of creativity and it seems I’m not the only one with writer’s block.
That was unkind and untrue. It’s my mean streak expressing jealousy about how come you all have great things to write about and I’m stuck here with an empty head? I’ve got more than 20 posts under construction (is that really an appropriate term for writing?) but none of them fit the mood of the evening and there’s no new ideas popping up. They rarely materialise just when I want them. My best ideas tend to catch me in the most unexpected and inconvenient moments such as shopping or in the shower. Anywhere where pen, paper and a free hand to make a note are just not accessible.
My inner critic’s very busy as usual. All kinds of crappy stuff about promises to myself of a post every 3 days and letting myself down (are you growing to love him as much as I do?). Lot’s of ‘have to’ and ’should’ in my head. He’s jumping up and down and screaming in my head not to publish this sorry little imposter of a post.
The best I can do for today is surrender to the lack of any idea, and trust that something’s going to come up.
The shops are all shut by now so perhaps I’ll go take a shower.
Sometimes surrender really is the only option.
PS I agree with Inner Critic but I’m going to press ‘publish’ anyway and promise to come up with something better next time.
PPS Are there times when you just have to admit defeat and surrender?
PPPS Another apology – this time for that very weak question above that’s clearly an attempt to engage some kind of conversation out of this sorry state. Just ignore it and come back in a few days and everything will be well again.
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Oh Ian, I hope your writer’s desert lasts only a little while. Mine has been going on for a long time now and I’m having to patiently wait it out. The most writing I seem to get done these days are comments on blogs.
What you’ve done, even by publishing what your inner critic considers an imposter of a post, is shown up. Just keep showing up. You made a commitment and you’re sticking with it. Very admirable.
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Ian’s reply:
I’m pretty sure the desert is a small one. I like this idea of ‘just keep showing up’ – that really helps keep some perspective. Thanks Suze
Hi Ian
Yes, bloggers-block does seem to be doing the rounds.
I also have lists of ideas and half-written posts (I like the “under-construction” term). Sometimes it’s difficult to get into the spirit of an idea that popped into one’s mind some time ago. I wait for that idea to re-ignite.
I’d say, let it be. There will be popping soon enough…
Juliet
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Ian’s reply
Perhaps it’s the time of year .. second half of winter, all of nature asleep. I tend to think we’re more in tune with nature than we realise. Perhaps the creative juices in the blogging world are in hibernation. Except in South Africa, of course where you should be in full swing right about now!
Hi Ian,
Yep, I’ve had it too – writer’s block. Hang in there, my friend. And, I also know what you mean about having inspiration at completely the wrong time. This has happened to me way too often – and I think I’ll remember it (guess what: I rarely do). So yes, I admit defeat sometimes, and then surrender. And I like to think about it as losing the battle, but not the war. Keep on fighting Ian…
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Ian’s reply
Well Lance, it gives me a lot of comfort if even you have suffered from ‘the block’! Means I’m in truly great company! And for sure this is not even a battle – more like a minor skirmish!
“I’ve been cruising some of my favourite sites hoping for a flash of creativity and it seems I’m not the only one with writer’s block.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is hilarious. Actually, I have lots of ideas for posts and scribble them down whenever they come to me. The idea is that I will use them when I have ‘writer’s block’ but I find anything I’ve written like that is a bit stale.
The solution I’m come up with is to just wait and go about my day. If I post 4 hours later than I typically do, oh well. Sometimes I come across something to share, but often I get inspired or passionate about items I read in the news or on the blogs of my friends.
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Ian’s reply
Obviously I wasn’t referring to you Hayden when I wrote about others missing some creativity! Oh no!
I’ve also noticed that those posts that are written on a sudden inspiration only take about 2 hours to put together whereas those based on old ideas take forever to write.
Good luck!
Another perspective is that everyone actually has an empty head. Some beings are simply in denial of the power and value of nothingness. When a being reaches this immeasurable, imperceptible place, to feel discontent is a human reaction in a non-human realm. To feel disoriented where you are meant to be brings you back to the illusion you create where you are. Is that irony?
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Ian’s reply
Having had brief insights into the ‘non-human realm’ a couple of times, one of the challenges is to live in the physical world. Nothingness and empty headedness are so alluring that it can be equally risky to drift off into it and forget that we have a tangible reality too … and that needs living and tasting.
“Sometimes surrender is really the only option.” Hot damn I love that! It’s beautiful.
I think it’s like a viral thing…everyone’s suffering from this lately.
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Ian’s reply
And I suspect that success in this blogging venture is about still ’showing up’ (as Suze put it) even when I’m suffering from this virus.
Evolving to find that “middle ground” is part of the path to learning more about the inner self. Some people evolve to believe that surrender is the way to self-acceptance. At the same time, accepting everything as it is all the time can also seem problematic and does not promote growth. You can evolve to become more discerning, to incorporate perspectives from the physical and non-physical realms.
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Ian’s reply:
And part of discerning is to include surrender as one possible path to follow. I find that many people are either in a mode of ‘never surrender’ or of ‘why fight anything?’.
Hi Ian
You did what you had to do. You wrote about your present experience. What else would there be to write about? I loved the jackals howling at the moon (hiding behind the clouds of writer’s block). Sounds like they needed some empathy. In the Focusing world when we check in with how we are now and we sense “nothing” or “blankness” we ask ourselves if we can say hello to that nothing or blankness and just be with it – kind of keep it company – or we sense for the quality of nothing or blankness. And it usually does have a quality in there.
cheers Leona
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Ian’s reply:
Hi Leona
You’re right about looking for empathy! Looking into the nothingness is something that doesn’t come so easy for me, yet. I’m working on it. I find it much more habitual to be doing all the time and accepting blankness, emptiness doesn’t sit well just yet. I have moments, and enjoy those.