Writer's Block and Selling Your Soul to the Devil

A Total Bummer of a Secret

So I have a confession to make:

I haven't finished a short story in over two months (!!!).

I know. Preposterous, mad, insane!

Don't be angry with me. I have been writing - I promise! I just haven't finished anything. 

Does that still count as writer's block? What would you say? I've been writing random poems, excerpts, confessions, but nothing that I've fully finished, and it kind of bums me out. Yet, I know that many writers have it much worse off than me, possibly not even being able to get a word onto the page. So, in an attempt to help both you and I, I'm going to list some ideas for getting out of this writer's block mess.

List of Ideas to Help Us Get Out of This Writer's Block Mess

Devote a certain amount of time a day to writing

This one seems self-explanatory. But, in the past, I have found that this can be the most helpful when I can't write. Forcing myself (preferably at the same time every day) to write for an hour or two daily can help loosen up those fingers and let some of those brain waves flow. Even if what you are writing is garbage - keep doing it! Eventually something good will come out.

Know that the writer's block will go away

This has helped me in the past before, too. I've had to stifle the voice in my brain saying, "You can't write anything now! This means you'll never be able to write anything ever, ever again, you fool!" THIS VOICE IS A LIAR. The writer's block WILL pass. You've been (hopefully) writing for a long time now - and if there is one thing that you should have learned, it's that you (as well as myself) can't stay away from writing for too long. This thought is good to think about because, at least for me, it helps get rid of some of that anxiety.

Writing prompts, yo

I'm not going to lie, for the longest time I thought that writing prompts were super lame. This was probably a point in my life where I thought I was super edgy or something, I don't know. I don't really want to think about it. But, after taking many writing classes at Hamline, I've learned that writing prompts can be super helpful. Some of the writing that I'm most proud of lately has come from prompts, so don't be afraid of these. A quick Google search will lead to a wealth of ideas to choose from.

Write some flash fiction

I guess this tip is a bit more personal (and kind of cheating in my case). But writing flash fiction helps to give me the feeling that I actually finished something - which helps me feel accomplished, which helps motivate my writing. So maybe it is an illusion, but we need to do whatever it takes right? Write some flash fiction and go from there! Either leave the finished piece alone or use it as a guide to create a lengthier work. 

And that's all I have for now. What are some ideas you have to get rid of the 'ol writer's block? Obviously my list is super small, so I would love to hear some other ideas!

The Selling Your Soul to the Devil Part of This Title

So lately I've been trying out websites like BloggMutt and Scripted.com and WritersAccess.

I've been contemplating if this is equivalent to selling my soul.

For those of you that don't know, these websites generally have you choose from several different topics and write a blog (length varies) that a company will use. I guess another word for it is Ghost Writing. The companies pay the site and the site pays the writers - usually a small amount (but it can turn out to be a lot if you dedicate large amounts of time to it).

It seems odd, I know. Because as writers we are often trying to make a name for ourselves; to discover our own voice, write about what we want, and hope other people find joy in it as well. But this is different because there are often strict guidelines, and you mostly have to pick from a list of topics instead of writing about what you want.

Keep in mind that I've just begun to dabble in these sites, so I don't know if the explanations of them are 100% accurate - but I think they are at least pretty close.

Anyways, let's get to the bottom line--

Bottom line:

I'm intrigued. I went to school for writing. I've written blogs and book reviews. I've written short stories and poems. So why not get paid for it? That's my thought process. I can write for other people about things I don't necessarily want to write about, and than write my own stuff on the side. At least that's the conclusion I've come to. But I'm wondering, what do you think about these websites? Have you had any experience with them?

Byebye

So that's all for my second blog post. It was quite lengthy wasn't it? I guess I had a lot on my mind. At the end of the day, even though I still have so many unanswered questions about the writing world, I've figured out one thing: I love writing, and I will continue to do it for the rest of my life. This seems like a simple and boring thought - but it's not to me, it's comforting to know that I'll be dedicated to writing for the rest of my life, no matter how many blocks of the writer variety I run into, and no matter how many questions I have.