Avoidance

I find it amazing the lengths I will go to in order to avoid doing that which I love, namely, write. I have been known to clean the entire house from top to bottom, babysit a grandchild, and help with homework, all while moaning, “I need to write.” Fortunately, I believe I turned the corner yesterday and can now go fearlessly forward into the land of writing bliss.

Yesterday evening I was melting butter in preparation for making a cream sauce when I turned too quickly and splattered a very un-healthy amount of the “very” hot stuff onto my hand. At first, I didn’t believe this was very serious but ran cold water over my hand while yelling for someone to come and turn off the stove. When my hand continued to burn in spite of the cold water, I began to worry. I promptly placed an ice cube on my scalded thumb, first finger and connecting tissue. When the hand was numb, I removed the ice and assessed the damage. The good news: no black skin and no broken blisters. The bad news: a large area of very red and tender skin on my left hand. My second thought after, “How do I get this to quit burning?” was to wonder how I was going to write with a burned hand. As I use a laptop to write, this was an interesting challenge.

I applied some burn salve to the area, grabbed a self-contained cold pack, sat at my keyboard and began to type. It was slow going, but I was able to log a few hundred more words before dinner (sans cream sauce). This morning, my hand was much-improved and my typing speed was back. More important, I have now joined the ranks of writers who write regardless of the situation or temptation not to.

No matter the circumstance, I am forging ahead, doing what I love. I write.

Writer’s Block Defeated

According to Merriam-Webster, writer’s block is  ”a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece of writing.” If that’s the definition, then I suffer from writer’s block to some extent every day and I’m not the only writer who does. The sequence of events varies but follows the following general pattern:

1.  An idea strikes.

2. I explore the idea, tossing it around with possible openings, paths and conclusions.

3.  I decide I like the idea and there’s enough there to write about.

4. I begin writing about the idea.

5. Sometime before I’m finished writing, my brain stops delivering words to my fingers and I freeze.

6.  Eventually, whether a minute, an hour, or a week from the onset of the “block”, I continue writing and finish the piece.

THAT’s the victory: I finish the piece. And, if you write for a living, you do, too. Despite doubts, outside crises, interruptions, or sheer disbelief, you finish what you were writing and get on to the next piece. Which is what I’m going to do now.