Writer’s Block

The block

Some say it’s a myth. I’ve had writer’s block for years, so for me it’s very real. I would have ideas, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with them. Or I would start a book and get five pages in before I realized I had no idea what the story was about. I’d rewrite pages over and over again hoping to get a sense of direction without finding it and, eventually, the book dies.

What saved me was outlining. Before outlining I would fret about which direction the book should go. Now, with outlining, I can write out the different possible paths the book could take and decide which I like better or which will be more fun to write or read. The doubts and anxieties I used to have about the writing process of shrunken or disappeared altogether thanks to outlining.