A blank page is an intimidating invitation to create. Creation requires a change of state: potential to kinetic; white to black; nothing to something. A page filled with creation, change turns the page to another blank page of that begs for more. Another moment of tension. Another few hours of scrolling the procrastination feeds. Anything to dull the dread of not creating.
Creation is the toughest. Why bake brownies when you can order them? Why cook dinner when UberEATS delivers to your door?
We’re all David Copperfield now. Push a button and your food appears.
Why write when you can read what someone else has said?Everything has been said already anyway. Why am I watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts about ‘how to defeat writer’s block’?
Seriously, what can we do about these blocks?
Mr. Poopy Pants
Execution removes obstacles. One time I wrote about writer’s block, and all it took was writing. Just like this post. This is an example of how to throw perfectionism out the window and just do work. It is going to suck for awhile. And then it gets better. And then people start reading it. And hopefully there will be a few trolls to stir up the pot.
If you have writer’s block, start writing about writer’s block. Like this sentence. I love gorillas. A siberian tiger would beat a lion in a fight. That’s how you defeat writer’s block. When I was seven, I pooped my pants at a school halloween party. The teacher remarked about the smell. I said it was probably the sewage overflowing outside.
She didn’t believe me and called my mom. True story. I was Mr. Poopy Pants.
Blocks
Had to – via GIPHY
There’s a lot that goes into that block: perfectionism, worrying about what other people might think. You can go to workshops about those blocks, or spend decades in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. What a waste.
Just write, or type, some words. Write a letter to your ex and tell them how you love them so much that you imagine them free falling from the top of a skyscraper. Burn the letter.
Remember those letter blocks we had as kids? I do just from what I saw on public television. We were too poor to afford toys so I played outside.
You could stack letter adorned blocks on top of one another to make words. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.
Stack your blocks to make words.
Don’t
…schedule wine night to commiserate and complain with your friends about bullshit topics A to Z. Instead, buy your ticket. Go to that public speaking class. Dig a hole in your backyard and see what you find. Read a book by someone who has done way cooler shit than you. Poop your pants and write about it.
Give yourself permission to explore a little bit with the support of your #1 biggest fan: You.
This sentence is an example of how to defeat writer’s block.
INSPIRATION.
Be the person you aspire to be. In this case, a successful blogger with one post under their belt.
If you don’t know what that is, find someone or multiple people who make up different aspects of the lifestyle you want to create.
So you’ve followed the best booty, best photographer, and funniest person on Instagram and you’re still not inspired to write.
You are going to die
…in 60 minutes. The only way to reach the world is by writing your truth. What story must you tell before you die? What truth do people need to know?
And think about this: How many people who were born at the same time as you have already died? It’d be a shame if you wasted your time worrying about a silly thing like writer’s block.
Busses on Mars
Waiting for inspiration is like waiting for a bus on Mars. Despite what you have seen on YouTube, there are no busses on Mars. You also happen to be on Earth. Waiting for inspiration is a hallucination. It’s like smoking crack. I have never smoked crack, but I enjoy writing about it. It’s addicting.
Also, inspiration can expire and that’s a good thing. I used to listen to startup podcasts until I realized they’re all the same. How many times does one need to hear the message “Do the work” before they actually “Do the work?” Thousands for some.
And in doing the work, the less we care about what other people think, the more we rise.
The best thing that can happen is to get an additional fan of your work that isn’t you, mom, dad or grandma.
As for me, I’m still waiting for trolls. Trolls are a sign of success.
Last evocation of crack: Get addicted to the feeling of hitting ‘Publish’.
Go.
❤ Timo