I'm making what I consider a deep inquiry into the sources of and cures for, writer's block.
I'm examining it from various viewpoints:
(1) As a form of procrastination;
(2) As fear of failure;
(3) As a habit to be exchanged for the writing habit; and
(4) As a defensive reaction to criticism.
Are there any quick fixes for this malady that causes so much suffering?
Is there an expedient way to get back on track, or better yet, to keep chugging along, full steam ahead, without interruption?
Happily, I believe there are some shortcuts. One of them assists us to get over the nagging concern that our writing is stagnating, or worse, that we have somehow lost the magic touch.
My professor, the revered sage Peter F. Drucker, was fond of saying: "If the gods wish to destroy you, first, they'll give you forty years of success."
Not a happy thought, but it certainly resonates for those of us that have had early and nearly instantaneous success, especially in publishing. The first four books I published were business bestsellers. Hundreds of thousands of copies were sold.
Then, my next two struggled.
Feeling I lost it, that I'd never duplicate my early wins, I quietly bowed out of writing books and put my energies into creating audios and videos, which were profitable media for me. Plus, my book royalties were handsome, so I declined to update the standouts that were still sending me semi-annual checks.
But I was blocked, unconsciously persuaded that the book muse had better things to do than to whisper winning titles into my ears. I reached my quota, and that was that.
Approximately ten years went by, during which I didn't publish another volume. Finally, I gave myself permission to fail (and therefore to succeed) again. I wrote and large companies issued my next six books during a three-year period.
Problem solved, right? Not quite.
Those books didn't reach the commercial success of my original four, so despite their pluses, and there were many I could only see them as disappointments.
I was offered a contract for my 13th, but I declined, opting instead to turn it into a profitable audio seminar. I felt I had been opening door after door, getting smacked in the face with a pie each time, so when I reached the lucky 13th portal I ducked.
So, I know whence I speak when it comes to being blocked.
Now, I write, at will, and I write a lot. I have detached the tether between what I compose and commercial success.
A phrase that keeps me going, that prevents the rude return of writer's block is a simple affirmation, by way of Emile Coue, that I'll share with you:
"Every day in every way my writing gets better and better!"
Not only does it work, keeping me productive, but it's true, and I'm sure it will be true for you, as well.
