Friday, March 26, 2010
The Writer's Itch
The writer's itch? What is that and can it be cured with a simple over-the-counter cream, or does the prescription go deeper than just mere aloe or hydrocortisone-rich lotion? It can't be soothed away easily and it gets at the undercoat of any writer who truly aspires to be a writer. It takes up space in our minds and pushes out everything else, when all you are consumed with is this unusually strong desire to type words, tons and tons of words and hopefully have them blend enough to make some coherent sense... kinda like what I am doing right now. But even worse than the itch is the block that writer's all too often experience. What is the block? It's a freeze or lockdown of the mind where all creative thought is imprisoned in some place not your brain. The words, the thoughts, the ideas don't come and the screen is often blank or the delete button is in constant use from the inadequate attempts of formulating words and thoughts. What is even more catastrophic is when the itch meets the block... I don't think I need to explain the internal fury associated with such a mixture of desire and loss. It is not for the average writer... this is only survived by the diehards who know there is light at the end of the tunnel when all brain and body function resumes to a normal pace and literary excellence is possible.
About Me
- Heather Awad
- Endicott, New York
- I'm Heather, new to the blog world. Here to share my writings as I continue to learn and grow in my writing style. I'm a single mom with a beautiful 8-year-old daughter, Aziza. I love writing and do it all the time. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you've enjoyed reading my posts.
2 comments:
Checking, checking, 1,2,3...
Okay, now that I know it works, here I go again. :)
I love what you wrote here: "It takes up space in our minds and pushes out everything else, when all you are consumed with is this unusually strong desire to type words..." In recent months, I have often felt exactly this way, and often use the word "consumed" to describe how I feel about writing. I do feel consumed by it. It's all I want to be doing, about 95% of the time (the other 5% I reserve for eating, sleeping, those annoying have-tos). It makes me wonder if I'm slightly psychotic or anti-social at times, to know deep down I'd rather be writing than spending time with family and friends, or doing just about anything else. Then I just tell myself that it's okay on some level, because it means I'm THAT committed to my craft, to my work, to my goals, and it's a new and frightening yet unbelievably empowering feeling.
I had a "block", I guess you could say - I didn't write for a decade. I had kids. I was exhausted. I would THINK about writing, but was too tired and didn't trust myself enough that anything I had to say was worth putting down. The very thought of it exhausted me.
Then, this past August, something sparked, the planets aligned, and I started writing again. Haven't been able to stop since. I write every single day, and on the rare day that I don't, I feel like that day was wasted, no matter what I actually accomplished. So I guess I'm truly, finally, in the zone now... and it feels great. And I read your post, and know that someone else GETS it, and I wanted to thank you for giving me a moment of knowing I'm a) not alone, and b) not insane.
Best of luck with this blog. Enjoy it, work it, and know you have at least one faithful follower here... :)
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