Writer's Block? Merry Go Round Blog Tour #20

I am going to say something that will annoy a lot of people.

I have never had Writer's Block.

I understand the concept behind it, but there are two huge factors that have allowed me to avoid this problem. The first is that I have always turned to writing to escape real-world pressures. How does this make a difference? Many people fall into the pit of writer's block when bad things happen in their real life and it carries over. I have been able to divorce my real-world problems (and yes, there are plenty of them) and escape to the writing world where I can put my MC through hell and make myself feel lots better.

I'm not sure that's entirely sane, but still . . . Better than not having the release.

The other aspect of my life that has helped is that I am prolific. There is always something I can work on, even if it's just notes for a story I want to write in the future. This means that no single story is going to stop me dead. There are times when a story hits a snag and needs more time, but I've found that if I focus on that one and try to force it through, I don't get anywhere. I can't see around the problem and that's as close to writer's block as I get. When that happens, I move over to something else and let the problem child rest for a bit. Most often, the story answer comes to me when I am not trying to force it.

Maybe something will happen in the future and I'll suffer from writer's block. It can happen to anyone, after all. But I've been lucky and careful not to purposely set myself up into a situation where this is likely to happen.

The reason I don't suffer from this is not going to be a help for others. We all have our own approach to writing and our own levels of anxiety. I suffer from what might be called 'fear of release' syndrome. Novels stay with me for years before I finally either submit them, or more recently, publish them. I will rewrite an entire novel rather than consider releasing it, even when I know this isn't really what it needs. I'm breaking myself of that habit, but it's a tough demon to face.

Just as the demons you face in writing are tough.

If you want to get to read about nearly twenty other writers, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. Be sure to read tomorrow's post by Sharon Kemmerer