How to get rid of writers block.

Writers block is a real affliction, and it's especially damaging to professionals. I can't think of any other pursuit that has a "block" of it's own. Think about it, you call up the plumber because your pipes are busted and he says, "you know man, I'd love to help, but I've got a bad case of 'plumber's block,' I just can't seem to fix anything." If everyone had the luxury of being "blocked," then it wouldn't be long before everything fell apart.

The reason that you don't hear of plumber's block, electricians block, painters block, etc. is because these activities are all much more tangible than writing. Writing takes place in the mind, these other activities take place on a physical plane. When someone is suffering from writers block, it is just a symptom of a larger problem. They have spent too much time in the mind and they have become lost. Action is the cure. I have been sitting around for the past few days thinking, "wow, I need to write something...," but I haven't written a thing. Finally, about 15 minutes ago, I sat down and started writing, you're reading the results. It isn't my best work, but it is work, and sometimes that is enough.

Inaction will lead to stagnation. Just think of it like a creek or a river, when it is flowing, the water stays clean and clear, it moves with ease and a purpose, but if the flow is obstructed, then the water starts to smell, vegetation takes over, and eventually you have a stinky, rotting swamp. The good news though is that it is incredibly simple to reverse the process, all you have to do is start moving. At first it will be hard and slow, but eventually you will start to build momentum and those obstructions will be knocked out of the way. Once you open the flood gates, I hope you have your pen ready because the ideas will start to gush out. These times are great opportunities to jot down as many notes as you can. You can refer back to these notes later on, when your well starts to dry up again.

Eventually the flow will slow down, so don't take this time for granted, get as much done as possible. Life has a funny way of sneaking up on us, so remain vigilant of that. For me, time is usually the culprit. Little obstructions are easily ignored, my writing becomes rushed, the words become more difficult to find, and eventually I just "don't have the time" to write. Once I realize that I've quit writing, months have gone by, and I've once again lost my way. The trick is to avoid this pattern altogether, don't let time slip up on you.

All you have to do is keep moving and it won't catch you. If you are writing daily, something, anything, then "writers block" can't rear it's ugly head. A journal is a great way of doing this, so is email believe it or not. Many of my best ideas have come to me in the middle of a letter to a friend. Think about it, it's the perfect time, you are relaxed, you aren't forcing the words, and there is absolutely no pressure to write anything worthwhile.

Of course, like anything, I probably don't have the answers for you, I just have the ones that work for me. And they only work for me when I actually put them into practice, which is probably about 60% of the time, to be really honest. I guess the point is to keep moving forward. If you fail, so what, you are further along than you would've been had you never started, and in the end, what is the destination anyway? To sum up one of the most successful marketing campaigns ever, "Just do it!"