The Writer's Block is in the Upstairs Bedroom!

Since I'm currently in the throes of having a writer's block, it may seem odd for me to be writing an article about writer's block. But since I'm human, contradiction is my middle name, so here I am. And so are you. Which means either you are currently blocked or probably have been blocked in the past.

I've read all the articles about blocks and things to do, writing prompts, doing outlines, etc. Almost everyone says that what you can't do is just wait for inspiration to hit. You'll be waiting forever and also forever coming up with excuses why you can't possibly sit at your laptop/typewriter/writing desk.

Writing needs to be a habit, a daily habit, which sounds plausible. But then you are daily frustrated, when you sit there, buffaloed by the blank page and wonder what words are.

Sometimes I wonder if this is really what I want to do with my time, my life. Is this my work? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing?

When I was younger, my dad went to work Monday through Friday in an office, he'd get up 5-6 in the morning and would get home around 6 in the evening. He was an architect/draftsman/engineer and after working for a company for many years, he started a business of his own with some associates. He'd draw at his table with T-squares and triangles, go to meetings, travel to go on-site at different projects he was working on.

My wife worked two jobs for a while. She's worked at libraries all her life and for a time, she worked at an academic library at a local university (where she'd been for over 20 years) and also worked at Wal-Mart (where she'd been for 13 years). She worked at the reference desk, answering patrons' questions (at the desk, on the phone and online) and also in Government Documents, managing the collection that was amassed there. She was a cashier and CSM at Wal-Mart, on her feet constantly, dealing with customers and co-workers.

And here I am, sitting on my ass in front of a glowing screen, telling lies for profit. Is this work?

When I'm in the flow, writing is a breeze and reaching my word count is effortless. So, why do I feel guilty sometimes? Sometimes I wonder if I'm just blocking myself. Do I put the struggle in my way to make writing seem like a job? What if my block is just me, all me, wanting writing to be like "real work", so I don't feel like an impostor who doesn't deserve success or money.

When I first had that realization, I was floored. Literally, my mouth dropped open.

For heaven's sake, it was just me all this time. Part of me wanted this, it wanted this struggle, this turmoil, this frustration.

It was certainly a blow to my ego. Our egos just want the good stuff, but they are just a very small part of who we are, even though it's the part of us we most identify with. There is a much larger part of us, the unconscious part and what it wants can be some very strange and dark things. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst, called it "the shadow self".

Although me wanting to get in my own way was very strange, it was also very empowering. I'm not blocked by circumstances beyond my control. I'm not a victim. The universe doesn't hate me. It's just me, wanting something to be a struggle, so I didn't feel guilty about the good things I got from writing. And since it's me, I'm in complete control of it.

Writing is work. Taking the immense three-dimensional pictures in my head and transferring them a two-dimensional medium takes time, thought and action. And when you're done translating your inner life to a blank page, then you have to go on a merciless rampage though it, killing your darlings, so it's sharp and tight. I'm not even going to go into the marketing and promotion struggles writers face daily to keep their book above water, so it doesn't sink to the abyss with all the other forgotten books.

Writing is your job and work. And not only is it worth being called "work", but it also changes the world we're in, just by existing. People read your writing and are changed by its words. Even if its just entertainment, still, if that person enjoys it, they are a happier and more fulfilled person for having come in contact with it.

Now, sit down, grab your keyboard/pen/pencil and change your world. It's the work you were meant to do.

If you liked this article, please feel free to share it using the Facebook and Twitter buttons below. Or just copy the link in your address bar and blast it! I'd really love to have this message go wide, because I don't think we're the only two people who needed to hear this.

Thank you!