It is now half past ten at night and I've completely forgotten that I wanted to write a blog post today, distracted as I have been by a story that I've been working on. There is a quote on my favorite coffee mug that says something very interesting about writer's block and, for that matter, writers in general. "Writer's block is when your imaginary friends stop talking to you." I like to think that is true, and if it is, my own friends have been very conversational lately.
All jokes aside, when writer's block does strike, it truly feels like a friend has stopped talking to me. It happens once in a while, and I end up staring at the page waiting for the words to form and flow out of the pen onto the paper. It's frustrating and as often as I hear that writer's block doesn't exist, I can't always bring myself to write anyway. Inspiration is frustratingly fleeting, and when it is there it is wonderful, as the words flow together almost by themselves. When it is gone, it is gone and it seems you can't force two words together with a vice and superglue. When professionals give advice on beating writer's block, they usually say to keep writing, even if what you are writing feels like nonsense. This is surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, difficult and disheartening as the piles of discarded papers grow into miniature mountains. It really feels like talking with no response. Thankfully, the inspiration always returns, even if it takes a while, a familiar friend returning from a long trip. Welcome back.
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