What to Do When You Have Writer's Block

I don't have anything to write about. But I write. So I must. 

It always starts the same…

Scanning the room. Looking for inspiration. It's like I'm calling out to the tiniest hidden crevices in my brain to drop an idea onto my page. I sit and look around for a while. Searching. But I've learned by now that nothing happens unless I start typing. So I begin.

I keep going and keep going. And usually the words feel like they're stupid and I'm stupid and everything's stupid and I have no good ideas and I'm never going to actually pull this piece together because #stupid, but I know from last time and the time before that my only job right now is to just keep typing. So I do.

Sometimes the big reveal of what my post will be comes quickly and all-of-a-sudden I know where I'm going. That's when the writing gets fun and my fingers can't seem to keep up with my brain and I wonder, "Where in the world did this come from?" and it's magical. Other times I type for an hour without any idea of where I'm headed. Both are fine, but the quest for the former is what keeps me showing up to the keyboard. That damned elusive "writer's high."

What makes one session flow and another feel stuck?

I could tell you it's about setting up the perfect writing environment, but I've written a great post while sitting in a busy hospital waiting room in an uncomfortable chair as my Dad was having heart surgery.

I could tell you it's about starting with a Rolodex of content ideas, but some of the posts I've loved the most came from aimlessly rambling across my keyboard.

I could tell you it's about the way I feel, but I've managed to write some great stuff when I DID NOT FEEL LIKE WRITING ONE BIT.

My conclusion? Tips for a having productive writing session are BS.

It's the wrong question. The writing doesn't have to flow. The connections don't need to jump off the page. It's OK if it feels shitty the whole time. The perfect post may not come out of me today.

Yet, I write.

The only question I care about is, “Did I write?” I didn't even know "writer's high" was a thing until I got good at the showing-up. I wasn't looking for it; It arrived as a beautiful and unexpected gift. That’s how it works.

Completely ignore the outcome and focus on the practice itself. Create habits that align with what matters.

Practice and habits.

Practice and habits.

Everything that matters seems to start there.